Statues outside Buckingham Palace
Directly outside Buckingham Palace there is the Victoria memorial statue. On a four sided pedestal, the statue of Victoria sits on the northeast side facing out towards a long road called The Mall, almost like she is greeting the thousands of people who come to visit everyday.
The 3 other sides of the pedestal represent 3 key personal qualities of Queen Victoria
Her love for truth
Represented by an angel holding a mirror. The mirror shows the truth of what is in front of you. By the angel’s side is a woman reading a scroll.
Her sense of justice
Represented by an angel holding a longsword, the angel protects the weak and vulnerable who are represented as the nude woman at the angel’s side.
Her sense of motherhood
Victoria has a maternal love for all her people, shown as a ‘typical’ mother caring for two young children.
Victoria memorial – Winged Victory
Winged Victory (Also known as Nike) is the daughter of Athena and Styx from Greek Mythology. She is the goddess of victory in battle and friendly competition. A statue of Winged Victory is placed at the top of the victoria memorial to represent the power of England at that time in history.
Reference
https://victorianweb.org/sculpture/brock/8.html
https://victorianweb.org/victorian/sculpture/brock/19.html
https://victorianweb.org/sculpture/brock/11.html
https://victorianweb.org/victorian/sculpture/brock/17.html
https://www.layersoflondon.org/map/records/victoria-memorial