2 min read
Foster + Partners has shared the final designs for the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II. The long-awaited project, scheduled for completion in 2028, will create a new public space in London’s St. James’s Park. The UK-based architecture firm unveiled the designs at the British Museum on Tuesday, on what would have been the Queen’s 100th birthday. King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and members of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee were in attendance
The memorial, created with landscape architect Michel Desvigne Paysagiste, is planned as a peaceful public park to honor Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign. A new cast-glass bridge will cross the park’s lake, with balustrades inspired by Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, which Queen Elizabeth wore on her wedding day. The design also includes several sculptures and landscape features that represent national heritage and the Commonwealth’s global connections.
Foster + Partners
A statue of Queen Elizabeth II by Martin Jennings will overlook St. James’s Park.
A bronze statue of the Queen by Martin Jennings will be placed at Marlborough Gate. The figure will show her in the early years of her reign and draw inspiration from a well known Pietro Annigoni’sportrait of the royal. Jennings is also making a statue of Prince Philip in naval uniform. Meanwhile, sculptor Karen Newman will create a separate bust of the Queen in her later years, and contemporary artist Yinka Shonibare will contribute The Commonwealth Wind Sculpture, a new abstract work.
Foster + Partners
Shonibare’s The Commonwealth Wind Sculpture will stand as a centerpiece within the park’s gardens.
Norman Foster, the founder of Foster + Partners, has also designed a symbolic compass that points visitors in the directions of the Commonwealth nations. “The Queen’s reign encompassed periods of significant change—socially and technologically—which she negotiated with incredible composure and stability,” Foster said in a press release. “The memorial reaches across all ages and interests.”
Gardens dedicated to the UK and Commonwealth countries will also help make the park “a place of reflection for generations to come,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer added.
Foster + Partners
Foster’s bronze compass serves as a functional monument, pointing toward the Commonwealth nations.
In addition to the physical memorial, the committee will also create a new digital archive will bring together historical records and media about the Queen’s public life. A newly launched charity, The Queen Elizabeth Trust, will also support initiatives that reflect her dedication to public service.
See more renderings of the Queen’s national memorial below.
Queen Elizabeth II’s National Memorial
Open Gallery
Brea Cubit is an award-winning journalist who covers culture, entertainment, fashion, business, and more. When she’s not writing and editing, she enjoys listening to live music, binge-watching nostalgic TV, and shopping at artisan markets.