The Royal Parks has recently updated its website to address controversial aspects of the Albert Memorial in London.
The organisation now acknowledges that the 176ft monument, situated opposite the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington Gardens, contains "racial stereotypes" that are considered offensive by modern standards.
Erected in 1872 to commemorate Queen Victoria's late husband, Prince Albert, the memorial reflects the expansive reach of the British Empire at the time of its construction.
The monument's imagery portrays Western influence as a civilising force, purportedly rescuing indigenous peoples from what was then viewed as "barbarism
“Representation of certain continents draws on racial stereotypes that are now considered offensive,” updated information about the plinth now reads on the Royal Parks website.
“Though the Empire has traditionally been celebrated as a symbol of British supremacy, many today consider this view as problematic because colonialism often relied on the oppression and exploitation of people, resources and cultures.”
Prince Albert died of typhoid in 1861 aged 42. The statue was commissioned a year later.
It shows marble figures representing Europe, Asia, Africa and America representing manufacture, commerce, agriculture and engineering.
This includes the figure of a European woman reading a book to an African man.
Near the top are gilded bronze statues of the angels and virtues.
The write up adds: “Victorian guidebooks to the memorial describe how this ‘uncivilised’ man hunches over his bow. This pose was intended to represent him ‘rising up from barbarism’, thanks to his western teacher.”
The Royal Parks added the information last year as part of what they said was a regular review of its communication.
It follows on from statues of historically problematic characters being taken down by protestors on the back of the Black Lives Matter campaign.
At the height of the movement, the statue of slave owner Edward Colston was removed from its berth in Bristol and thrown into a river.
