This week it was announced that Lord Foster has been selected to create a memorial to Queen Elizabeth II in St James’s Park.
His design will include a statue of the late Queen on a horse at Marlborough Gate, as well as a statue of Prince Philip on the other side of the park and a translucent, glass bridge.
Here’s what the papers had to say about it.
The Times
“Although most famous for his glass skyscrapers like the Gherkin, Lord Foster has a history of creating wonderful places too,” writes Jonathan Morrison. “He once told me one of the projects he was most proud of was taking the traffic-plagued roundabout of Trafalgar Square and turning it into a European piazza. Here he has returned to form, giving the memorial both a traditional aspect — setting an equestrian statue among quintessentially English flowerbeds, accessed across a slender “unity” bridge — and making room for a modern twist. Quite literally, in the form of Yinka Shonibare’s wind sculpture.”
The Spectator
“It is the inevitable nature of memorials that the dead have no say in the buildings and sculptures chosen to remember them,” writes Alexander Larman. “I suspect the late Queen would have wished for something solid, unpretentious and no-nonsense to commemorate her and her unparalleled legacy; a new public building, or some tasteful and unostentatious sculpture. This uninspired, unfocused mess isn’t it.”
Daily Express
“The winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial in St James’s Park has been announced — and it’s a bridge. Not just any old crossing, mind, but a bridge by renowned British architect Lord Foster. With its symbolism of unity and communication, we reckon a bridge is a fitting tribute to our dear, dutiful late monarch.”
Also read: Norman Foster's most iconic designs in London after he wins Queen Elizabeth memorial bid
What we say
The design features a bridge inspired by the late Queen’s wedding tiara, as well as statues depicting her on horseback and another of her walking arm-in-arm with Prince Philip. Although Lord Foster has famously clashed with the King — not a fan of modern architecture — over the years, it would be fair to assume that the design for the nation’s official memorial to his mother has been given the royal seal of approval.
