There is an equestrian statue of Queen Victoria in George Square in Glasgow, but as I haven’t found a pictures of it in my collection, I likely didn’t see it or didn’t take a photo when I visited the city in 2006. But I did see another statue of Victoria in the city.
The fact that Glasgow is a rather new Scottish city, certainly compared to for example Edinburgh, doesn’t mean that there is really nothing of interest to find. In front of the People’s Palace with its magnificent Winter Gardens (don’t miss them) you will find the Doulton Fountain. The terracotta fountain was designed by Arthur Edward Pearce and made by sculptors John Broad, Herbert Ellis, Pearce, Frederick Pomeroy and William Silver Frith. It was designed in French Renaissance style to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. It was part of the International Exhibition of 1888 in Glasgow. The basin is 21 metres wide and the fountain itself is 46 feet (about 14 metres) tall. Queen Victoria is proudly surrounded by statues of water-carriers, representing Australasia, Canada, India and South Africa. The original statue was struck by lightning in 1891 and the Royal Doulton company actually had a second statue produced to replace the old one. A restoration was carried out between 2002 and 2004, when the fountain was relocated to its present place in front of the People’s Palace.
