Albert Memorial

The model was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. He was one of the foremost Victorian architects and best-known exponents of the Gothic Revival. He was particularly productive in the 1850s and 1860s, and his design for the Albert Memorial was much admired at the time. He chose a team of craftsmen to work on it who had collaborated with him on previous projects. These included the sculptors Henry Hugh Armstead (1828-1905), John Birnie Philip (1824-1875) and J.F. Redfern (1838-1876); the stone-carving firm Farmer & Brindley; the ironworker Francis Skidmore (born about 1816, died 1896); and J.R. Clayton (1827-1912) and Antonio Salviati (1816-1890) for the mosaics. The model was made by Farmer & Brindley. Henry Hugh Armstead made the sculptural groups on the model. Scott wrote of these: 'I doubt whether either the central figure or a single group, as executed, is superior to the miniature models furnished by Mr Armstead.'

Ownership & Use

The model was used during discussions in 1863 about the design of the memorial. It was later displayed at the 1867 Paris International Exhibition. In 1871 it was officially loaned to the South Kensington Museum (later the V&A), and presented to the Museum by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1873. It was put into storage and not formally registered until 1973, when it was re-discovered by John Physick, then Deputy Director of the Museum.