Victoria and Albert – their names are everywhere
This coronavirus crisis has found me running online lessons in Victorian history for a couple of nine year olds. We’re using Skype to have a one-hour session each week and we’re finding it fun.
Naturally we started with Queen Victoria herself who ruled Britain from 1837 to 1901, a record 37 years – until the current Queen Elizabeth II beat the record in 2015. And, of course, there was Victoria’s husband Prince Albert with whom she had no less than nine children before he died at the early age of 42.
I told my young students about some of the many places named after Victoria or Albert or both.
Here, in London, we have Victoria railway station, bus station and coach station and, on the underground, we have both Victoria station and the Victoria line. Even the pub in the television series “Eastenders” is the Queen Victoria or Queen Vic.
Still in London, Albert has a huge music hall named after him and opposite the Albert Hall is a grand statue of the prince.
Staying in central London, north and south of the River Thames we have respectively the Victoria Embankment and the Albert Embankment. Then there is the wonderful Victoria and Albert Museum.
I’m originally from Manchester and the town hall there is located in Albert Square.
But I know that this naming practice is not confined to London or Manchester. I once visited Regina, a provincial capital in Canada, and found that at the centre of the city there was the intersection of Victoria Avenue and Albert Street.
I’m sure that my little friends would be interested in any further examples that you can offer.
April 1st, 2020 at 12:58 pm
The first time I visited Australia, I found it difficult to think of the adjective “Victorian” in a geographic rather than historic sense.e.g. a restaurant serving only Victorian wine (i.e.local). I’m sure the 9 year olds would find it amusing to be able to eat and drink Victorian produce!
April 1st, 2020 at 7:11 pm
That’s right, Janet.
We should add the Australian state of Victoria to our list.
April 2nd, 2020 at 2:45 am
My office is next to Victoria Park in Auckland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Park,_Auckland 10 minutes walk away is Albert Park.
We also have a Mt Victoria and a Mt Albert volcano cone in Auckland.
In fact, i think i took you up Mt Victoria in Devonport when you visited in 2013 – if we didn’t then we must have looked across at it from the top of North Head volcano which is next to it.
There’s also a Mt Victoria (big hill) in Wellington which looks down at the city and the airport.
I’m sure there are lots of more.
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:24 am
Thanks for this information, Dave.
Is it really 17 years since I was in New Zealand? Hope to see you again in London one day – when the city is not under lockdown and I can buy you a coffee.