Winner of design for Memorial to Queen Elizabeth II announced

Today, the winner of the five shortlisted ideas for a permanent memorial to HM Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for longer than any other UK Monarch, has been announced. 

Very much NOT just about a Queen sat on a horse!

Today we found out who won after an opportunity for the public to comment on the five shortlisted proposals.

The winner is Foster + Partners (designer of very big iconic projects) 

• with Yinka Shonibare (sculptor) 
• and Michel Desvigne Paysagiste (landscape architect)

To date the process has been as follows:

• September 2024: it was announced that the UK National Memorial to Queen Elizabeth II will be located in St James's Park, London
• February 2025: a Shortlist Of Design Teams Announced For National Memorial For Queen Elizabeth II
• May 2025: the Public were given a first look at Early Proposed Design Concepts for the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial site
• 24 June 2025: an announcement has been made that Foster + Partners will design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II

This is about memorialisation as environmental art and architecture together with story-telling combined with restatements of important values and the importance of connections. Hopefully it will also involve top class project management which will get the project completed as fast as possible - as this is a very popular public park.

It's a very BIG project!

"This is about an extraordinary woman and an extraordinary reign, about her commitment to public service, her duty, her commitment to the community, to the nation and the Commonwealth" Baroness Amos, member of the The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee

I am left wondering whether the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square is no longer reserved for the Queen on a horse given this Memorial is going to be so much bigger and better!

Why did the Foster + Partners team win?

The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee’s selection panel found Foster + Partners’ design, balancing formal and informal elements, impressive and capable of creating an engaging landmark to endure for generations to come. The panel also valued Foster + Partners’ artistry, use of space, technical skills and their sensitivity to the memorial’s location.

The winning team also includes artist Yinka Shonibare and celebrated landscape designer, Michel Desvigne.

Where will the memorial be?

St James's Park will be home to the new Memorial and will be a hive of activity for however long it takes to complete.

This is the most royal of London’s Royal Parks. Shaped by generations of monarchs and bordered by three royal palaces, St. James’s Park is the home of ceremonial events in the capital. From royal weddings and jubilees to military parades and state celebrations – this is the park where history is made. Royal Parks

Map of the site within St James's Park
note how close it is to both Buckingham palace and government

The permanent memorial to the country's longest-reigning monarch will be placed in St James's Park, very close to Buckingham Palace and the Mall - the place for ceremonial and commemorative parades - in central London

This diagram (below) by Foster + Partners indicates how big the memorial will be reaching from The Mall through St James Park, across the Bridge and through to Birdcage Walk.

Open in a new tab to see an even bigger version.....

Diagram of how the scheme will work as a new pathway across the Park
Foster + Partners

What will the QE2 Memorial comprise? 

The design brief sought concepts for an emotionally powerful place and a space for pause and reflection, which is sensitive to the site within the Grade I listed St James’s Park. The memorial is envisaged to be a new national landmark of outstanding quality to honour and celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s unique qualities and values. Memorial Committee    

Features of the Foster + Partners’ proposal include:

• The start of the journey across the Park with a two new figurative sculptures of 
• Queen Elizabeth II on a horse to mark a new Queen Elizabeth Place on the Mall opposite Marlborough Road - which leads up to St James palace and the Commonwealth Secretariat)
• Her Majesty alongside Prince Philip at the new Prince Philip Gate into the Park (one wonders if this new gate was a request from the Queen)

New figurative sculptures of Queen Elizabeth II and Her Majesty alongside Prince Philip at Birdcage Walk, mark the relocated Marlborough Gate and Prince Philip Gate.

 

Visualisations of the two new statues on the Mall side of the Park
and at the start of the new path across it
Foster + Partners

Between the gates, the Commonwealth Garden and Yinka Shonibare’s Wind Sculpture define a space for reflection and shared experience; the Community Garden’s artistic installations celebrate the diversity of the United Kingdom

A Family of Royal Gardens - part of the proposal by Foster + Partners
Plus a new wind sculpture by Yinko Shonibare
Foster + Partners

a natural stone tessellated path from the United Kingdom and Commonwealth that meanders to cater to both commuters and visitors.

• the tessellated path will include stone from the United Kingdom and Commonwealth and will meander through a tranquil family of Royal gardens. It is conceived as honouring Queen Elizabeth II’s ability to unite people, communities, and nations. 
• the Community Garden’s artistic installations celebrate the diversity of the United Kingdom;
• The journey is also inspired by John Nash’s original romantic landscape for St James's Park.

In the 1820s, the park got another grand makeover, courtesy of the Prince Regent, later George lV. He and architect John Nash brought a touch of romance and naturalness to the formality of St. James’s. Nash replaced the canal with a curving lake and formal avenues became winding paths. He was also responsible for designing Buckingham Palace. History of the Royal Parks

• the Queen Elizabeth memorial will also include the Unity Bridge - in glass - inspired by her tiara. The name is to reflect the need to balance the connections between the Crown, Parliament, Armed Forces and the Commonwealth

Visualisation of the Unity Bridge in St James Park
Foster + Partners

• Throughout, the Queen’s voice is ever present through audio installations and inscriptions, alongside an ever-evolving digital conservatory, accessible from the site, or anywhere in the world.

There is an excellent document produced by Malcolm Reading Consultants - a strategic architectural consultancy - who ran the architectural competition element and advised the Memorial Committee. This tells you a lot more about the project and its different aspects. Very much a recommended read for those who know the park and who are interested in how the project will unfold.

What Next? 

There are three key stages before they go "on site". These are

• Foster + Partners will now develop its initial concept in close partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee. 
• They will also work together to select a sculptor to design the memorial’s figurative element. The Committee will announce the sculptor later this year.
• Final plans for the memorial in St James’ Park will be announced next year (2026)

The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee

The competition has been directed by 

• the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee (QEMC) and 
• the Cabinet Office, a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government.

The entire process has been led by The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, led by chaired by The Late Queen’s former Private Secretary, Lord Janvrin. This is a joint body set up to advise the Government and the Royal Household on the national memorialisation of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. (Click the link to see who was on the Committee. I was very pleased to see that it included Sandy Nairne, the past Director of the National Portrait Gallery i.e. the one who knows about portraiture as opposed to the one who knows about running building projects!)

They have been running the Queen Elizabeth II Design Masterplan Competition - which was my resource for most of this post.

They consulted with

• experts in arts, heritage, architecture, structural engineering, placemaking and accessibility to find the best concept to honour Queen Elizabeth.
• the public - in relation to the five shortlisted concepts and plans

Who were the other candidates?

The challenge and opportunity for competing design teams could hardly be more significant: the project will create a new national landmark.

The five final teams were:

• Foster + Partners with Yinka Shonibare and Michel Desvigne Paysagiste
• Heatherwick Studio with Halima Cassell, MRG Studio, Webb Yates and Arup
• J&L Gibbons with Michael Levine RDI, William Matthews Associates, Structure Workshop and Arup
• Tom Stuart-Smith with Jamie Fobert Architects, Adam Lowe (Factum Arte) and Structure Workshop
• WilkinsonEyre with Lisa Vandy and Fiona Clark, Andy Sturgeon Design, Atelier One and Hilson Moran

To be honest, if you'd just shown me these names I think I'd have guessed that the combination of Sir Norma. Foster and Yink Shonibare was a winning formula!