Saying Bon Voyage to a Queen
How do you say à la prochaine to an exquisite statue that is part of the Royal Victoria Hospital’s heritage? With tea and scones of course!
Staff, volunteers, members of the RVH Foundation and Auxiliary gathered on Friday, June 28 to salute the Carrara white marble statue representing Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, which was sculptured by Countess Feodora Gleichen and presented by the Founders in 1897. Lord Strathcona and Lord Mount Stephen commissioned the statue to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of the sovereign, who is still the longest-reigning female monarch in history.
The statue will remain an important part of the MUHC’s history when she takes her rightful place at a prime location at the Glen site — on the main ‘interior street’ that runs the length of the building.
On July 3, the statue of the queen was moved to the Glen site making her the first permanent resident in the Royal Vic’s new home. The move from the surgical wing of the Royal Victoria Hospital was somewhat of a surgical procedure itself, with a team of six men and a crane required to disassemble various pieces, including removing the queen from her throne.
The pieces were then wrapped up and wheeled down the main corridor, hoisted onto a waiting flatbed truck before being brought to the Glen site. In all, the work took about six hours to complete.