Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne
Encyclopedia
The Queen Victoria Gardens are Melbourne's memorial to Queen Victoria
. Located on 4.8 hectares (12 acres) opposite the Victorian Arts Centre and National Gallery of Victoria, bounded by St Kilda Road
, Alexandra Avenue and Linlithgow Avenue.
Queen Victoria's reign started in 1837, two years after the initial European settlement
of Melbourne, and upon her death in 1901 it was thought appropriate to declare an enduring monument to her reign. A memorial statue was commissioned from sculptor James White
showing the Queen in ceremonial gowns casting her regal gaze across ornamental lakes, sweeping lawns and rose gardens to the Melbourne Arts Centre Spire and the city skyscrapers.
Queen Victoria Gardens are part of a larger group of parklands directly south-east of the city, between St. Kilda Road and the Yarra River
known as the Domain Parklands, which includes;
A huge floral clock is positioned opposite the National Gallery of Victoria
, containing over 7,000 flowering plants which are changed twice yearly. The clock was donated in 1966 to the City of Melbourne by a group of Swiss watchmakers. Behind the clock stands a bronze equestrian statue, a memorial to Queen Victoria's successor, King Edward VII
. The statue, by Melbourne born sculptor Bertram Mackennal, was unveiled on July 21, 1920.
and positioned at the highest point of the gardens, commemorates five aspects of Queen Victoria. The memorial is of white Carrara
marble
, Harcourt granite
and NSW marble, and was unveiled by Sir John Madden
on Empire Day, 24 May 1907.
Originally home to native grasses, she-oaks
, wattles
, paperbark
s, and river red gums, the area now consists of ornamental lakes, sweeping lawns, flowerbeds of annuals, and mature European and Australian trees and shrubs in a landscaped garden.
As well as the monuments to Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, the gardens are notable for their array of sculptures. These include an exploratory play sculpture for children, The Genie, by Tom Bass
in 1973. The Pathfinder was manufactured in 1974 by John Robinson and details a bronze Olympic Hammer thrower in action. The Phoenix was sculptored from cast bronze and welded copper sheet by Baroness Yrsa Von Heistner in 1973 to commemorate the 40th International Eucharistic Congress. The Bronze Water Children is an installation by John Robinson, made in 1973, which shows playing children at the top of a stream. The Water Nymph is a kneeling bronze figure sculptored in 1925 by Paul Montford.
A classic rotunda was built in 1913 and named after Janet Lady Clarke, a philanthropist who worked for the welfare of women in Melbourne.
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. Located on 4.8 hectares (12 acres) opposite the Victorian Arts Centre and National Gallery of Victoria, bounded by St Kilda Road
St Kilda Road, Melbourne
St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004 and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city....
, Alexandra Avenue and Linlithgow Avenue.
Queen Victoria's reign started in 1837, two years after the initial European settlement
History of Melbourne
The history of Melbourne details the city's growth from a fledging settlement into a modern commercial and financial centre as Australia's second largest city.-Pre-European settlement:...
of Melbourne, and upon her death in 1901 it was thought appropriate to declare an enduring monument to her reign. A memorial statue was commissioned from sculptor James White
James White (sculptor)
James White was an Australian sculptor, winner of the Wynne Prize in 1902.White was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, the son of Robert White, journeyman shipwright, and his wife Janet, née Dunn. White was apprenticed to a plasterer and studied modelling at South Kensington...
showing the Queen in ceremonial gowns casting her regal gaze across ornamental lakes, sweeping lawns and rose gardens to the Melbourne Arts Centre Spire and the city skyscrapers.
Queen Victoria Gardens are part of a larger group of parklands directly south-east of the city, between St. Kilda Road and the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
known as the Domain Parklands, which includes;
- The Royal Botanic GardensRoyal Botanic Gardens, MelbourneThe Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne are internationally renowned botanical gardens located near the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on the south bank of the Yarra River. They are 38 hectares of landscaped gardens consisting of a mix of native and non-native vegetation including over...
- Kings Domain
- Alexandra GardensAlexandra Gardens, MelbourneThe Alexandra Gardens are located on the south bank of the Yarra River, opposite Federation Square and the Melbourne Central Business District, in Victoria, Australia. The Gardens are bounded by the Yarra River to the north, Princes and Swan street bridges, with Queen Victoria Gardens and Kings...
- Queen Victoria Gardens
Features
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
, containing over 7,000 flowering plants which are changed twice yearly. The clock was donated in 1966 to the City of Melbourne by a group of Swiss watchmakers. Behind the clock stands a bronze equestrian statue, a memorial to Queen Victoria's successor, King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
. The statue, by Melbourne born sculptor Bertram Mackennal, was unveiled on July 21, 1920.
Queen Victoria Memorial
A granite and marble memorial, commissioned by public subscription from sculptor James WhiteJames White (sculptor)
James White was an Australian sculptor, winner of the Wynne Prize in 1902.White was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, the son of Robert White, journeyman shipwright, and his wife Janet, née Dunn. White was apprenticed to a plasterer and studied modelling at South Kensington...
and positioned at the highest point of the gardens, commemorates five aspects of Queen Victoria. The memorial is of white Carrara
Carrara
Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, Harcourt granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and NSW marble, and was unveiled by Sir John Madden
John Madden (jurist)
Sir John Madden GCMG , Irish-Australian jurist and politician, was the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria....
on Empire Day, 24 May 1907.
Originally home to native grasses, she-oaks
Allocasuarina
Allocasuarina is a genus of trees in the flowering plant family Casuarinaceae. They are endemic to Australia, occurring primarily in the south. Like the closely related genus Casuarina, they are commonly called sheoaks or she-oaks, they are notable for their long, segmented branchlets that...
, wattles
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
, paperbark
Melaleuca
Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae known for its natural soothing and cleansing properties. There are well over 200 recognised species, most of which are endemic to Australia...
s, and river red gums, the area now consists of ornamental lakes, sweeping lawns, flowerbeds of annuals, and mature European and Australian trees and shrubs in a landscaped garden.
As well as the monuments to Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, the gardens are notable for their array of sculptures. These include an exploratory play sculpture for children, The Genie, by Tom Bass
Tom Bass
Thomas Dwyer Bass AM, was a renowned Australian sculptor. Born in Lithgow, New South Wales on 6 June 1916, he studied at the Dattilo Rubbo Art School and the National Art School and established the Tom Bass Sculpture School in Sydney in 1974. In 1988 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia...
in 1973. The Pathfinder was manufactured in 1974 by John Robinson and details a bronze Olympic Hammer thrower in action. The Phoenix was sculptored from cast bronze and welded copper sheet by Baroness Yrsa Von Heistner in 1973 to commemorate the 40th International Eucharistic Congress. The Bronze Water Children is an installation by John Robinson, made in 1973, which shows playing children at the top of a stream. The Water Nymph is a kneeling bronze figure sculptored in 1925 by Paul Montford.
A classic rotunda was built in 1913 and named after Janet Lady Clarke, a philanthropist who worked for the welfare of women in Melbourne.
External links
- Melbourne City Council - Queen Victoria Gardens
- Queen Victoria Memorial (including photographs)