A bronze statue of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), made by noted British sculptor George James Frampton (1860-1928), formerly stood on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building, atop a stone base designed by Winnipeg architect Daniel Smith. Made at a cost of some $15,000 (the bulk of the cost paid by the provincial government and the remainder by private donations), it was unveiled in front of the old Legislative Building, facing Kennedy Street, by Lieutenant Governor Daniel Hunter McMillan and Premier Rodmond Palen Roblin at a public ceremony on 1 October 1904.
The monument was moved in front of the present-day Legislative Building, facing north toward Memorial Park, after the former building was demolished. The statue was toppled and its head was removed during a public demonstration on 1 July 2021. The monument was eventually removed by the provincial government and its present whereabouts are unknown.
Queen Victoria monument in front of the second Legislative Building, with the third and present building under construction behind it (May 1917) by Lewis Foote
Source: Archives of Manitoba.
Queen Victoria monument (May 2010)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Queen Victoria monument (August 2017)
Source: George Penner
Queen Victoria statue after being toppled and beheaded (July 2021)
Source: Marina von Stackelberg / CBCSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88538, W97.14742
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Daniel Smith (1840-1913)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Monument (Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Legislative Building (450 Broadway, Winnipeg)
“Queen’s statue,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 October 1903, page 5.
“Local news paragraphs,” Winnipeg Tribune, 6 April 1904, page 10.
“Victoria’s statue unveiled Saturday,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 October 1904, page 3.
Public Buildings Erected and Improved by the Government of Manitoba during the Years 1900-1906, Government of Manitoba, December 1906. [Copy at Archives of Manitoba]
We thank George Penner, Marina von Stackelberg, and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 2 November 2024
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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