Mysterious monument

stevief · Post by **stevief** » Sun 09 Dec, 2007 10:15 pm

Does anyone have info.on this Victorian monument?It's situated well off the beaten track.Has anyone else seen it on their travals?

stevief · Post by **stevief** » Sun 09 Dec, 2007 10:18 pm

In its entirety...

stevief · Post by **stevief** » Sun 09 Dec, 2007 10:20 pm

An arty silhouette shot.

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Sun 09 Dec, 2007 10:23 pm

It's the Queen Victoria monument in Becketts park to commemorate her visit to the opening of Leeds town hall in 1858. It looks as though the council should be spending a few quid on it as well looking at the state it's in.

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Sun 09 Dec, 2007 10:27 pm

I think LeedsMet did spend some money and time on restoration in september

stevief · Post by **stevief** » Sun 09 Dec, 2007 10:38 pm

Phill_d wrote: It's the Queen Victoria monument in Becketts park to commemorate her visit to the opening of Leeds town hall in 1858. It looks as though the council should be spending a few quid on it as well looking at the state it's in. Why is it in such an 'out of the way' place phill?I've noticed on my A-Z,that area of Beckett Park is called Queens Wood.

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Sun 09 Dec, 2007 10:45 pm

I don't know Steve.. The monument is at the end of Queens walk so it will be named for a good reason i suppose. she probably visited the monument.. Wouldn't the Becketts park campus have been a big stately home at one time housing royalty perhaps?

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Sun 09 Dec, 2007 11:10 pm

Yeah it was built by the then owner (was it Beckett himself) cant remeber now, in the hope that Victoria would stay at his place when she came to open the town hall. In the end she never did as we know. This is what remains, and of course would nothave been in a wooded area at the time....

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Sun 09 Dec, 2007 11:14 pm

The Grange on Becketts Park was bought by a banker called beckett, hence becketts bank (wetherspoons) on park row albeit too far up. It is thought he believed Queen Victoria would stay at the Grange when she came to officially open the Town Hall. The monument was therefore built to be shown during the "after dinner walk". The Queen stayed elsewhere and presumably never saw the monument.It is probably no coincidence that we have Queenswood drive, Queens wood and Queenswood house the residence of the current VC of LeedsMet. On the other side of the campus is church wood and churchwood house which was used as the residence of a former VC (or principal at the time) Christopher Price

LS1 · Post by **LS1** » Sun 09 Dec, 2007 11:18 pm

Forgot to mention that she would have rode through here on the way to t'big house whitch is why it was constructed