Irish sculptor John Hughes spent a decade creating this bronze statue of Queen Victoria. She ruled the United Kingdom for more than 63 years until her death in 1901. Seven years later, the tribute was presented by her successor King Edward VII in Dublin at the Leinster House which would later become Ireland’s parliament. In 1987, as part of the renovation of the Queen Victoria Building, the monument was acquired by the city of Sydney and placed in front of the iconic QVB at Bicentennial Plaza.