Albert Memorial

Funded by public subscription during the national mourning for the Prince Consort and designed as a suitable receptacle to 'contain or cover' the statue (by Matthew Noble), Worthington chose a Gothic style to create an elaborate canopy topped by a spire. Elevated on a stepped plinth, the armorial decoration refers to Albert's Saxon origins, while his work in England is referred to by the small corner statues representing Art, Science, Agriculture and Commerce. These figures inhabit small corner tabernacles and were temporarily removed in the 1960s to reduce maintenance. Combining architectural and decorative motifs, this is the centrepiece of by far the best statuary group in the city and its setting was enhanced by the subsequent design of the Town Hall. (This statue predates the larger and more famous Albert Memorial in London by 15 months, and it is hard to believe that its design did not influence Sir George Gilbert Scott's work.)