Queen Victoria & Prince AlbertPrint Page

Pavilions erected at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital commemorate Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

The foundation stone of the Queen Victoria Pavilion was laid by the Duke and Duchess of York on the 31st May 1901 and the pavilions were officially opened on the 20th October 1904. 

Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. With a reign of 63 years, seven months and two days, Victoria was the longest - reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regnant in world history until her great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her on 9 September 2015.

Queen Victoria`s birthday, 24th May, used to be called `Empire Day`. There were special assemblies at school with songs praising the British Empire. Children were then given a half-day holiday. Up to the 1950s, Empire Day was celebrated in Australia with huge bonfires and fireworks.

Yesterday was a gala day in connection with the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, the occasion being the formal opening by his Excellency Sir Harry Rawson and Lady Rawson of the Queen Victoria Memorial pavilions. Originally, as mentioned by Professor Anderson Stuart during the proceedings, the hospital was designed to provide accommodation for 350 patients. The buildings were so arranged, however, as to allow for the erection of additional pavilions by which the accommodation could be increased to about 500 beds.

The original scheme included the administration block as the central point from which the pavilions should radiate, the idea being that the additions should be erected gradually as the demand for beds increased, while the administration block would be suitable for a complete hospital.  The board of directors, and Parliament agreed to the erection by the State of the two new pavilions to fulfil the Joint function of a State memorial of the late Queen and adequate accommodation for the sick poor of the community. When completed and fully equipped, the additions will increase the accommodation from 236 to 456 beds, thus placing the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital In the position of the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere.

The statue of the late Queen Victoria, which surmounts the pediment of the southern pavilion, was unveiled by his Excellency, who, in an eloquent address, referred to the estimable qualities of the late Queen as the head of the greatest nation in the world, and to her possession of those womanly virtues which made her home life a noble example to the people. Lady Rawson then unveiled a similar statue of the late Prince Consort, which adorns the pediment of the northern pavilion. His Excellency remarked that the late Prince was all that a Prince should be. The statues of the late Queen and the Prince Consort, which are each 9ft in height, and are of hammered copper, were executed by Mr. James White, of Annandale. 
Excerpt from The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW), 21 October 1904. 

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