It’s really sad that the magnificent historic Public Library in the city centre is still closed with no indication on when the necessary work will be done or at what stage budget will be available to do it. The building was built in 1901 with the façade constructed in England and shipped to Port Elizabeth in numbered blocks to be reassembled in front of the building. The statue of Queen Victoria was added in 1903 to celebrate the queen’s Diamond Jubilee that took place in 1897.
Hopefully that is done soon.This looks to be of the Queen around the same time as the statue of her on our Parliament Hill. So often artists and sculptors show her as the grandmother. There's one statue of her in our Parliamentary library that has her as a younger woman.