The Queen Elizabeth Way Monument, also known as the Lion Monument and as the Loring Lion, is an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

monument located in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, Canada. The 1939–1940 monument honouring

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

was built as a decorative marker monument for the Toronto entrance to the

Queen Elizabeth Way The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) is a 400-series highways, 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario linking Toronto with the Niagara Peninsula and Buffalo, New York. The highway begins at the Canada–United States border on the Pea ...

(QEW) highway.

Description

The stone monument consists of a column with a crown at the top on top of a base. On the face of the base section is a profile of the Queen and a stone lion is placed in front of the base. The monument was designed by architect William Lyon Somerville, who also designed the

Henley Bridge Henley Bridge is a road bridge built in 1786 at Henley-on-Thames over the River Thames, between Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The bridge has five elliptical stone arches, and links Hart Street in Henley with White Hill (designated the A4130) le ...

of the QEW. Sculptor

Frances Loring Frances Norma Loring LL. D. (October 14, 1887– February 5, 1968) was a Canadian sculptor. Biography Loring was born in Wardner, Idaho on October 14, 1887 to mining engineer Frank Curtis Loring (1859-1938) and Charlotte Moore.Amy Marshall Furne ...

was commissioned to execute the stone lion.

Florence Wyle Florence Norma Wyle (November 14, 1881 – January 14, 1968) was an American-Canadian sculptor, designer and poet; a pioneer of the Canadian art scene. She practiced chiefly in Toronto, living and working with her partner Frances Loring, with w ...

modelled the royal profiles and crown. Loring started the lion after the entry of Britain and Canada into World War II and it inspired her design: "a snarling, defiant British Lion, eight feet high." Loring personally carved the lion herself from Queenston limestone. She fired her originally commissioned carver after he made unauthorized changes and took over the carving herself in the late summer and fall of 1940. The monument cost ($ in dollars)

History

The monument was dedicated June 7, 1939, by

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

and

, the namesake of the highway, during the

1939 royal tour of Canada King George VI and Queen Elizabeth made their visit to Canada from 17 May to 15 June 1939. Taking place in the months leading up to the Second World War, the tour was undertaken to strengthen trans-Atlantic support for the United Kingdom in an ...

. In 1972, the Government of Ontario announced a new expansion to eight lanes of the QEW at the Humber River, necessitating the removal of the monument. It was first proposed to be moved to

Ontario Place Ontario Place was an entertainment venue, event venue, and park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The venue is located on three artificial landscaped islands just off-shore in Lake Ontario, south of Exhibition Place, and southwest of Downtown Toron ...

but the proposed location spawned public criticism. Instead, the monument was moved in August 1975 to nearby Sir

Casimir Gzowski Sir Casimir Stanislaus Gzowski, (born Kazimierz Stanisław Gzowski; March 5, 1813 – August 24, 1898), was a Polish-Canadian engineer who was known for his work on a wide variety of Canadian railways, as well as work on the Welland Canal. He al ...

Park along

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

, on the east side of the Humber River. It was re-dedicated in 1989 by Queen Elizabeth, by then styled and known as The Queen Mother. The Queen Elizabeth Way was Ontario's first "super-highway" and it was adorned with decoration, such as its light standards and the Henley Bridge in

St. Catharines, Ontario St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

. The bridge is adorned with monuments at each end of the bridge in the area between the two directions of traffic. Each is a

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

prow with four regal lions in the boat, each bearing a unique shield. There are also piers at each end, two decorated with sailing ships, a third of a native person and canoe and a fourth of a rower. These were designed by the same team that designed the Lion Monument. These remain in their original location.

References

External links

{{Public art in Toronto Monuments and memorials in Toronto Royal monuments in Canada Monuments and memorials to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Sculptures of lions Outdoor sculptures in Toronto Sculptures of women in Ontario

Description

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links