Victoria Square, Birmingham
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- This article is about the square in Birmingham. For the square in Adelaide, see Victoria Square, Adelaide, Australia.
Victoria Square is an important public square in Birmingham, England. It is home to both the Town Hall and the Council House.
The square was named after Queen Victoria after her death in 1901 when a statue of her was erected and unveiled on January 10. It was previously known as Council House Square. The lower part of the square was once occupied by Christ Church (built 1805-13, demolished 1899 to be replaced by shops and offices - the Christ Church Buildings, themselves demolished 1970). A tramway ran through the square and statues of Robert Peel, Joseph Priestley (which was later moved to Chamberlain Square) and Wright were located within it.
It is often considered to be the centre of Birmingham, and is the point from where local road sign distances are measured. The square is a short walk from St. Philip's Cathedral on Colmore Row and the Bull Ring and Brindleyplace developments. The square was redeveloped in August 1992, including the installation of a fountain sculpture by Dhruva Mistry, representing youth and eternity, called 'The River' but known affectionately as 'The Floozie in the Jacuzzi'. Around the upper pool of the fountain is a quotation from the poem 'Burnt Norton' by T.S. Eliot. Two sphinx-like creatures stand as guardians of the fountain at the lower end of the square.
Several public artworks are permanently displayed in Victoria Square including Iron: Man by Antony Gormley. The sculpture was given as a gift to the city by the Trustee Savings Bank in March 1993. It was cast in Willenhall, a district of the Black Country which lies to the northwest of the city, and is representative of the skills used by local craftsmen during the Industrial Revolution.
Chamberlain Square is adjacent containing the entrances to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and Birmingham Central Library.
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