Memorial Statue of Prince Albert in Aberdeen, by Baron Carlo Marochetti (1805-1867), bronze on a Peterhead granite pedestal. Originally (as shown on above left) at the southern end of Union Terrace, at the corner with Union Bridge, but moved in 1914 to its present position (shown above right) in front of His Majesty's Theatre. According to George Washington Wilson, it was the very first of the many Albert memorials to be erected.
Queen Victoria herself attended the unveiling on 13 October 1863, on what is thought to have been her first public appearance since Albert's death in 1861. The day was a traumatic one for her. She wrote in her diary at Balmoral:
Alas! it was pouring. To describe the day's proceedings would be too painful & difficult. Vicky & Alice drove with me. The long, sad, trying procession through the crowded streets, where all were full of kindness, butall silent, was mournful & as unlike former blessed times, as could be imagined! Unfortunately it continued pouring. The place chosen for the statue is small, rather on one side, close to the bridge, but Marochetti chose it himself. I got out trembling, & received an Address from the Ld Provost whom I knighted with Gen: Grey's sword. Then we all stepped on to the wet uncovered platform, directly opposite the statue, which certainly stands too low & is rather small for out of doors, but fine & like. Principal Campbell's Prayer was much too long & very trying, standing in the rain, but part of it was really very good. I felt very nervous when the statue was uncovered. — Took a little luncheon with my daughters in a room, upstairs, in the Club, & after this, we left as we came.... [Diary entry, Volume 52, Page [352]
In fact, despite the Queen's verdict that it was "fine & like," even if "too low & ... rather small," the statue was unpopular and it was in response to the criticisms of it that Alexander Brodie's statue of the Queen herself was erected in town. Marochetti's memorial work was not replaced, but simply moved southwards, and that, as noted above, was not until 1914. So controversy about it seems to have faded. It has, however, been treated irreverently in recent years: the photograph above right shows the Prince adorned with a crude moustache. — Jacqueline Banerjee.
Links to Related Material
- Queen Victoria, Aberdeen, by Alexander Brodie
- Queen Victoria, Aberdeen, by Charles Birch
- Victorian Aberdeen
Historic photo, courtesy Royal Collection Trust © His Majesty King Charles II 2022. Colour photograph © Bill Harrison, originally posted on the Geograph website, and kindly made available for reuse on the Creative Commons licence (Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)).
Bibliography
Queen Victoria's Journals. Web. 22 August 2024.
"Statue of Queen Victoria." SilverCity Vault (Aberdeen Local Studies). Web. 22 August 2024.
Wilson, George Washington. Photographs of Aberdeen and Vicinity. Aberdeen: John Duffus, 1867. Googel Books. Free Ebook (no page numbers).
Created 23 August 2024