Should you happen to stand outside the Royal Albert Hall, and face Kensington Gardens, you will see an immense, ornate and sparkling edifice. This is one of the most spectacular monuments in London, and was built under the command of Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert, who died when he was only 42. It is the Albert Memorial.

Whenever I see the Memorial, it looks faintly ridiculous to me. It is so huge, (over 50 metres high), so highly decorated and so complicated, just having the vision and nerve to design and erect such a structure is mind-boggling. In fact, it shows Prince Albert’s many interests and achievements, and every single detail has a meaning. The cross and angels at the top represent Albert’s Christian faith. The spectacular triangles of golden mosaic on the canopy, which rests on enormous granite pillars, represent the arts of poetry, painting, architecture and sculpture. And beneath the canopy is the Prince himself, shining and golden, holding a book of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Beneath him is a frieze of artists, poets and so on – 169 of them! On the four corners above the frieze are statues representing four great industries, and the statues at the base of the steps represent the four continents where Britain had parts of her Empire.

And if, as a Brit and a Londoner, I feel slightly embarrassed by this historic and historical display of power and might, I remind myself that I’ve been to the Albert Memorial with a number of friends from abroad, and they are, without fail, completely bowled over by it – especially if the sun is shining!

The Albert Memorial is in Kensington Gardens, one of the Royal Parks. It is a wonderful place to explore, and if you’d like to spend a day discovering its many delights (and even more about the Memorial), then you’re in luck because our Step Outside Guide book, Kensington Gardens and Beyond, does just that. It has stickers and everything! It is one of the series of guide books we’ve written to enable families to enjoy cost free days exploring London. It’s available from our website or from bookshops for a measly £5. We wish you a very happy summer holidays, and hope that you will have the chance to Step Outside in London!