Bust

Grosvenor Hotel - head 08 - Prince Albert

Erection date: 1862

Site: Grosvenor Hotel - 14 heads (14 memorials)

SW1, Buckingham Palace Road, Grosvenor Hotel

This 1860 building, by architect James Knowles Snr, is studded with many portrait busts of which we believe only these 14 are representations of particular individuals. Given their facial features and rather exaggerated head-gear the others seem more to represent types: racial, or national, etc.  The 14 are on the central section of the Buckingham Palace Road elevation, facing to the right in our photo, in the first floor window spandrels.

However we have failed to identify most of these heads. Victoria was easy and she gave us Albert, on her left, but the 6 on each side are tough. The costumes help - a few indicating military men, and the togas presumably indicating politicians but the two with loose-collared shirts - artists? We wonder, did the Victorian populace of the 1860s enjoy this 'spot the celebrity' game? If you have an eye for faces please have a go and let us know who you find.

2018: Via a lead we've nominated one of the heads as Palmerston. 3 down, only 11 to go.

2023: We've noticed that the south elevation which is barely visible also has some roundels, certainly at the fourth floor. We can't see the first floor at all but that could also have some heads. Perhaps when the hotel was first erected this elevation was more visible. Since those on the north elevation are generic, we trust these are too.

One of the more interesting visitors to this hotel was Emile Zola.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Grosvenor Hotel - head 08 - Prince Albert

Subjects commemorated i

Prince Albert

Born Schloss Rosenau, Coburg, Germany, as Albert Francis Augustus Charles Ema...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Grosvenor Hotel - head 08 - Prince Albert

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Colonial Office - B15 - Wilberforce

Colonial Office - B15 - Wilberforce

SW1, Whitehall, Foreign Office

Statues Hither and Thither has been invaluable in identifying some of the busts and most of the statues. The statues are not labelled and...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Kensington Library - Chaucer

Kensington Library - Chaucer

W8, Philimore Walk, Kensington Central Library

The library, by E. Vincent Harris and opened in 1960, is the building to the south, the left of our picture. The Library Time Machine mus...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Roundel 3

Roundel 3

EC2, King Street, 28

These roundels, below the second floor windows, are numbered from the left. Under other windows are: "T. C. C.", "1868", "H.H.". Number ...

Bloomsbury House - Friedrich Froebel

Bloomsbury House - Friedrich Froebel

WC1, Bloomsbury Square, 2-3

Bloomsbury House was built in 1887 for the College of Preceptors.  Designed by by F. Pinches it is Listed Grade 1.  The College, now call...

1 subject commemorated
Sir John Cass - Charity boy - bust

Sir John Cass - Charity boy - bust

EC3, Jewry Street, 31

Building by A. W. Cooksey, 1900. The small busts of the charity children recall the statues which flanked the original Cass statue in its...

1 subject commemorated