Lord Norman Foster used a virtual reality headset and a physical cutout to preview the Queen Elizabeth II memorial at Marlborough Gate, St James’s Park. The bronze principal statue will portray the young Queen in the Order of the Garter on a 4.3m plinth (total 7.3m), with a smaller companion statue of Prince Philip sited about 20m behind (total 3.8m). Sculptor Martin Jennings drew on Pietro Annigoni’s 1955 portrait for inspiration, and the memorial will be set within new gardens, winding paths and a translucent glass bridge to form Queen Elizabeth II Place.
Foster Previews Queen Elizabeth II Memorial With VR Mock-Up At St James’s Park
Lord Foster wore VR goggles to view the replica memorial statue of Elizabeth II - Jeremy Selwyn
Lord Norman Foster donned a virtual reality headset as part of a hybrid mock-up to preview the proposed national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II at Marlborough Gate, St James’s Park.
The process took place so Lord Foster and his team could plan the scale of the design - Jeremy Selwyn
Early Morning Mock-Up Reveals Scale And Sightlines
Early on Tuesday a cutout model was hoisted on a cherry picker so designers, sculptor Martin Jennings and members of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee could assess sightlines, scale and how the figures will sit within the historically sensitive entrance to the park. Members of the public photographed the temporary display as the team finalised placement.
Elizabeth II in a painting by Pietro Annigoni, commissioned in 1955, on which the statue is modelled - Annigoni/Camera Press
Design And Composition
The bronze memorial will depict Elizabeth II as a young woman in her twenties, wearing the robes of the Order of the Garter and standing on a plinth overlooking The Mall. A smaller companion statue of Prince Philip, shown in his Admiral of the Fleet uniform, will stand a few paces behind and be posed to look up at the Queen.
St James’s Park will be transformed in tribute to the nation’s longest-reigning monarch - Jeremy Selwyn
Initial proposals had shown the Queen on horseback, but that design was changed after public consultation so the monarch would appear more approachable and accessible on the ceremonial route.
Dimensions And Site
The principal statue will measure 7.3 metres in total: the Queen will be portrayed at approximately 3.0 metres tall on a 4.3-metre plinth. The companion statue of Prince Philip will measure about 3.8 metres in total, comprising a 2.3-metre figure on a 1.5-metre plinth, sited roughly 20 metres behind the main figure. The ensemble will form the focal point of a new civic space called Queen Elizabeth II Place at Marlborough Gate.
Sculptural Inspiration And Landscape
Sculptor Martin Jennings has said his depiction of the young Queen draws on Pietro Annigoni’s celebrated 1955 portrait, which captured her draped in weighty Garter robes and gazing into the distance. The wider memorial design by Foster + Partners will include a series of connected gardens, winding paths and a translucent glass bridge to create a contemplative route through the park.
“Models and mock-ups have always been an integral part of the design process at Foster + Partners,” Lord Foster said, adding that embracing the latest technology helped refine the proposals.
Lord Janvrin, the Queen’s former private secretary and chair of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, said it was important the Queen’s statue stood on the ceremonial route in her own right, with Prince Philip positioned a few paces behind to reflect their partnership.
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