The statue that gave the square its name is by Thomas Brock and was unveiled on 10th January 1901, just 12 days before the death of the Queen. The original statue was marble. In 1951 (to mark the Festival of Britain) a bronze cast was made. In 1992 this was taken away to be cleaned, returning in April 1993 as the refurbishment of the Square was nearing completion.

The Floozie in the Jacuzzi: The River and her companions

In 1993, Victoria Square was pedestrianised and remodelled. This included the installation of a massive water feature.
Around the rim of the upper pool is a quotation from Burnt Norton, one of the Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot:
And the pool was filed with water out of sunlight,
And the lotos rose, quietly, quietly,
The surface glittered out of heart of light,
And they were behind us, reflected in the pool.
Then a cloud passed, and the pool was empty.

Don't look up, but look down at this life-size statue of the noted 19th-century political reformer, which is reclining on the steps by the Town Hall leading into Chamberlain Square. A little known but important leader, Attwood was a banker and and one of the first two M.P.s representing Birmingham after the Reform Bill of 1832, a believer in monetary reform and a supporter of the ideals of the Chartists.

photo by Chris Jefferies

Anthony Gormley's controversial statue stands 20ft tall at the lower end of the square, near Pinfold Street. It was a gift to the city by the Trustee Savings Bank, in March 1993. It was cast at Firth Rixon Castings in Willenhall and represents the traditional skills of Birmingham & the Black Country.