Queen Victoria Statue

This monument to Queen Victoria was another gift to the city by Lord Ashton. It was built in 1906 and executed by Herbert Hampton and occupies a central position in formal gardens in front of the Town Hall. The gardens are laid out inside sandstone balustrades designed by Edward Mountford.

Pleasing features of the monument are the four panels which depict eminent Victorians including, on the north face, James Williamson, the donor’s father. At the height of his linoleum empire, Lord Ashton was one of the world’s richest men and had residences at Ryelands House and Ashton Hall, together with ones in St Annes (near Blackpool) and London.