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One interesting trail to follow in the quest to better understand the legacy of the British Empire is to locate and visit the statues of or monuments to the Queen of Britain under whose reign the Empire flourished - Queen Victoria.
She lived from 1819 to 1901, and her reign was a very long one, beginning with her ascension in 1837. In the course of her glorious monarchy, numerous monuments were constructed and dedicated to her. What is noteworthy is that many of these were contributions made by the native subjects residing in the colonies.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
The statue of Queen Victoria, located along George Street, in front of the majestic and suitably named Queen Victoria Building, was made of bronze in 1908.
Originally placed in Dublin, Ireland, the statue was shipped out to Sydney in 1987. The irony of the Queen being "transported" by sea to Australia was not lost on the press.
On passing the monument several times while in Sydney, I found it rather amusing that very few people stopped to look at it. Perhaps its location, along a very busy shopping area, simple turned it into a mere common landmark. Almost all the people who stopped by her did so only because they were waiting for the light to turn green
The photos were taken in 2015 on a visit to Sydney.
SINGAPORE
In contrast to Sydney, the Queen's statue is in a permanent location on the beautifully manicured grounds of the Istana (formerly, Government House, in British times). The whole Istana compound, buildings, lawns and gardens, have hardly been changed or modified since colonial times.
The statue has been temporarily moved to the newest pride of the town, the National Gallery (formerly the Supreme Court and City Hall) as a visual preamble to the excellently curated exhibition "Artists and Empire: (en)countering colonial legacies." It was here that the photos were taken in 2016.
One of the perplexing riddles asked in this exhibition is just why it still is that while in Britain, there is much anguish and brow-beating over the Empire, in many ex-colonies such as Singapore, the colonial heritage has managed to co-exist, even forming a constructed scaffold upon which localised art forms have flourished.
The inscription on the monument's base illustrate just how segments of the ruled in the colonial era did not resent the rulers as much as has been made out to be.
Erected in 1887 by the loyal Straits Chinese, the monument may also be seen as evidence that local Asian subjects collaborated willingly with the colonial authorities.
Occupying the central place in the Gallery foyer today, the statue elicits much admiration and reverence from interested locals and tourists alike. It is certainly not treated as nonchalantly as in Sydney.
HONG KONG
Despite the transfer of Hong Kong's administration from the British to the Chinese government in 1997, numerous reminders of her colonial past remain. The most prominent of these are the street names everywhere on Hong Kong island as well as the Kowloon district, commemorating previous Governors, soldiers, diplomats, businessmen, philanthropists and civic leaders.
Twenty years after the "handover," Hong Kong politics remains a very hotly contested arena. A visit in 2016 revealed the sharp divide between the pro-China camp and the not insignificant and vociferous community of groups variously identified as pro-democracy, localist, pro-independence and even a small band clamouring for a return to British rule!
The Queen Victoria statue is sited at the Victoria Park entrance. First erected at the Central district in 1896 (actually to commemorate the Queen's jubilee in 1887), the statue was shipped off to Japan during the war to be melted down. Fortunately that did not happen; the statue was returned and in 1952, when Elizabeth was crowned Queen, was relocated to its present site.
In the run-up to 1997, a mainland Chinese artist vandalised the statue. The ensuing public row in the press was most interesting. While many expatriates called for its permanent removal, many locals resisted and pressed for its retention. The latter opinion prevailed.
On my visit, Queen Victoria was unfortunately, most unceremoniously surrounded by iron beams and similar ungainly metals, the park being prepared for some loud concert.
But none the less, there she was - the statue of Victoria - in the ex-colony of Hong Kong.
MALACCA, MALAYSIA
No figurine statues here, but two monuments none the less! An unexpected find, for although I've visited Malacca numerous times, I had never before taken any picture of either the fountain nor the memorial plaque dedicated to the Queen.
There are actually separate plaques on two monuments.
The first and earliest of these at the central Dutch Square next to the Malacca River mouth is a commemorative fountain.
I took it to be a stamping of imperial authority that the monuments were placed exactly at the seat of administration of the previous Dutch colonial powers.
On one side of the pillar in the centre is a plaque inscribed with the words"Victoria Dei Gratia Britanniarum Regina Fidei Defensor" (or Victoria, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith, Britain."
The date on this plaque is 1867, the thirtieth anniversary of her reign.
At the base of this plaque is a carved side-portrait of a young Victoria, at the time of the anniversary (above right) The portrait of her at the top of the pillar shows her face from the front (above centre).
On the other side of the same pillar is another oval plaque, this time with the text, this time in English, "Victoria Regina 1837 - 1901. Erected by the people of Malacca in memory of a great Queen."
The date of this particular plaque is 1904, three years following the death of the Queen.
Not only does this later plaque affirm the devotion of a people to a foreign Queen they had never seen, but it also served to fix in the minds of those in the colonies the permanent nature of colonial rule despite the passing of the Queen.
The second and largest monument is now located just five metres away from the fountain, and placed on the lower wall of the famous Stadhuys buidling. (See below)
Most likely, this was not the original location but a recent one. This rectangular piece has a much longer text, in English, celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen, in 1897.
I found it remarkable that there were no such imperial monuments at all in the very English hill-station of Cameron Highlands, where the British often resorted to as a sanatorium, and where the whole social and architectural texture of Britain was replicated.
In the very Asian towns such as Malacca, however, where the daily grind of colonial administration was exercised, there was the need to strategically place visible monuments to remind and assert the authority of a distant monarch.
PENANG, MALAYSIA
If it was somewhat incongruous to find a memorial to Queen Victoria in Malacca, it was hardly surprising to find a wonderfully preserved statue of her in Penang. Her she is, in all her earthly, regal splendour, sited on the corner of Burma Road and Pangkor Road, within the premises of the very colonial Chinese Recreation Club, founded in 1892.
The front entrance of the Club is located along the aptly named Jalan Padang Victoria. The playing field itself is still known as Victoria Green.
Here are a few more close up pictures of the statue, taken from some ten metres away, because I could only snap the photos from beyond the wire fence.
The laying out of Victoria Green in 1902 was part of a larger campaign to commemorate the reign of Victoria, which arose soon after the monarch's demise.
The statue itself was only erected in 1930 by the Chinese community to demonstrate their loyalty to the Crown.
The full description of the commemorative events, and the raising of the statue and clock tower (near the port) may be found here.
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The engraving of the marble inset upon which the statue rests contain the words:
"The Statue of Her Majesty Queen Victoria was erected in 1930 to commemorate her long and glorious reign. The site and the adjacent recreation ground to which the name 'Victoria Green' was given were bought by the Chinese Community in 1903 and dedicated for the use of the Chinese community in Perpetuity."
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