Statue of Elizabeth II

The statue of Elizabeth II stands in Gravesend, Kent, a bronze figure on a stone plinth beside the Thames Path. It was commissioned by Gravesham Council to mark her 90th birthday and 65 years on the throne. Local firms and residents raised £225,000 to pay for the work by sculptor Douglas Jennings, who chose to show the Queen in late life rather than youth. The bronze figure weighs about 700 kilograms and measures roughly 2.75 metres tall. She sits robed in full garter robes and a wide cloak, echoing the costume on the Runnymede statue yet capturing a later moment in her reign. The plinth rises about 1.52 metres and bears the inscription ‘HER MAJESTY / QUEEN ELIZABETH II / our longest reigning monarch’. Visitors find the statue beside the riverside walkway, a quiet spot where the Thames flows past. The Bishop of Rochester unveiled it in 2018 with local dignitaries present. The bronze folds of her dress catch the light, and the inscription on the plinth invites reflection on her record reign.