Prince Albert's Statue, Liverpool

Prince Albert’s Statue can be found outside St. George’s Hall in the William Brown Conservation Area, a historic region of the city centre. The statue depicts the popular Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria, riding his horse. Victoria herself is depicted in a similar pose in a statue nearby. Both statues were designed by Thomas Thornycroft, a Cheshire-born architect, known for his equestrian sculptures. His most famous work, a depiction of Bodecia, stands on Westminster Bridge in London. His statues of Victoria and Albert, completed in 1866, made his name as a sculptor – though the rarely amused queen was said to be unhappy with the likeness to her late husband, and declined to attend the unveiling.

Prince Albert lends his name to countless monuments, streets and buildings in the UK, not least Albert Dock, the most popular tourist attraction in Liverpool. The prince was especially popular in Liverpool as his visit to open the aforementioned dock was the first royal appearance in the city – an important step in Liverpool’s emergence in the Victorian era. The statue, which shows Prince Albert in a relaxed, philosophical stance in comparison to Thornycroft’s other statues of the prince, is formed from bronze, and stands on a granite pedestal.