This is your opportunity to visit The Albert Memorial and see one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival style architecture in London. Albert remembered is a virtual cache so you must read the requirements carefully to qualify as a "Finder". It should take no more than a few minutes. Enjoy.
This virtual geocache has been placed here to encourage you to visit this impressive memorial. Please take advantage of the opportunity to stay a while and enjoy the area. Close by is the Royal Albert Hall which must be one of the most iconic buildings in the UK and possibly in the world.
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born on 26 August 1819 and married Queen Victoria, his first cousin, at the age of 20. Initially Albert was constrained and frustrated by his role, which did not give him power or responsibilities and furthermore he was not popular with the public. Over time he gradually developed a reputation for supporting public causes such as educational reform and abolishing slavery worldwide. He was heavily involved with the organisation of the Great Exhibition of 1851, which was a huge success.
In 1857 Albert was given the title of Prince Consort.
Albert died at the young age of 42 from typhoid, although there is some evidence that he was already suffering from a more chronic illness. This left Victoria devastated at the loss of her husband. She mourned him deeply and wore black for the rest of her life.
The Albert Memorial, situated in Kensington Gardens just to the north of the Royal Albert Hall, was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband. It was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Gothic Revival style. The memorial was opened in July 1872 by Queen Victoria but the statue of Albert was not ceremonially ‘seated’ until 1876. The memorial is 176 feet tall (54m), took more than ten years to complete and cost £120,000 (more than ten million pounds now). The cost was met by public subscription.
The ornate canopy, in the style of a Gothic ciborium, has marble figures standing at each corner representing Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Higher up there are figures representing manufacturing, commerce, agriculture and engineering; near the top are gilded bronze statues of the angels and virtues. Around the base of the memorial is the Parnassus frieze depicting celebrated painters, poets sculptors, musicians and architects all reflecting Albert's enthusiasm for the arts.
The Kensington memorial to Albert was not the earliest; the first to be erected was Thomas Worthington’s Albert Memorial in Albert Square, Manchester, unveiled in 1865. There are striking similarities of design.
If you find this an interesting memorial and want to know more, for instance what lies beneath supporting the structure, it is worth searching for more information using the search term IanVisits Albert memorial in a web browser.
This is a Virtual Geocache and there is nothing physical to search for; you simply have to demonstrate that you have visited the location in order to claim the "Find". To do that send an email or message to the Cache Owner with the answer to the following questions:
1. What are the animals at each corner.
2. Find the top horizontal bar of the railings at the most Eastern section of the South side, describe the pattern in the metal. Preferably use numbers in your answer.
3. From the given WP (see Virtual stage below) walk North until you have ‘put Albert’s head in the triangle at the top of his hall’ [see photo gallery]. How many paces back to the WP?
You could also post a photo of yourself or GPS at the monument, but this is not essential.
I am surprised at how many geocachers find it acceptable to log this cache without making any attempt to answer the questions. After logging your find please submit answers to questions within 48 hours (unless valid reason for delay given). Failure to do this may result in your log being deleted without warning.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018 This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.
