Queen Victoria Statue

Standing with composed authority in Victoria Square, the Queen Victoria Statue is one of the city’s oldest monuments.

The statue was commissioned shortly before Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, as part of Canterbury’s 50th anniversary Jubilee celebrations of 1900, to both  memorialise the monarch, and create a work that reflected Canterbury’s colonial identity and aspirations.

The chosen location was the bustling heart of early Christchurch, Market Square. Once the statue was unveiled, the square itself was renamed Victoria Square, permanently tying the place to the Queen’s legacy. 

Cast in bronze, the statue stands atop a substantial stone plinth richly detailed with eight bronze panels that reward close attention. The first records the Queen’s life: “Victoria, born May 24th, 1819, died January 22nd, 1901.” The second is a bas-relief showing the arrival of the Canterbury Pilgrims in 1850 and their welcome by local Māori. Another panel depicts Canterbury soldiers departing to serve in the South African (Boer) War of 1899-1902, while the fourth commemorates the 79 Canterbury soldiers who lost their lives in that conflict.

Above these, four additional relief panels illustrate what were described as “Typical Forms of Industries” of Canterbury: manufacture, education, agriculture, and pastoralism. Together, the panels reflect the struggles and achievements of early colonists, the importance placed on industry and the arts, and a strong belief in the value of free education.

Seen as a whole, the statue is more than a portrait of a queen. It is a carefully constructed narrative about who Canterbury believed itself to be at the turn of the 20th century. Today, viewed alongside later additions to Victoria Square that acknowledge our Māori history and Treaty of Waitangi relationships, the statue is even more complete.