Save our Queen Vic Memorial!

The Hampton Wick Queen Victoria Memorial graces the entrance area to the Library.

The memorial was paid for by public donations in 1897. It was originally sited on the High Street but with the arrival of the trams in the early twentieth century it had to be relocated. Its new home on Hampton Court Road (“Between the Walls”) opposite Church Grove was not ideal. It mouldered, and became overgrown losing its lamp in the process.

Half a century later Tony Arbour had the idea of restoring it and moving it to its current position marking the Library entrance way. This was achieved with the enthusiastic help of Lottie (Charlotte) Shaw of the HWA. The cost was underwritten by the Council and local businesses.

In recent years, the memorial has become endangered by an overgrown tree container immediately behind it, on property owned by Richmond Housing Partnership (RHP).

The Friends of Hampton Wick Library have lobbied over many months both the council and RHP to carry out the necessary remedial works to save our Queen Victoria Memorial.

We have written many, many emails to many people, had site visits with council and RHP representatives and now we seem to have some success. The tree in the container that was threatening the Memorial has been removed.

We’re now working on getting the ugly, and about-to-collapse, brick container removed.

Hopefully our wonderful, historic (if slightly quirky) local memorial will end up with a setting that shows it to best advantage!