Image: Queen Elizabeth I Memorial (Foster + Partners)
Architectural firm’s design includes new bridge inspired by Queen’s wedding tiara
A architectural team has been selected to complete the design of the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II, a Cabinet Office project with a £46m budget.
Foster + Partners beat out five finalist teams to be selected as the winning architectural practice.
The team’s winning proposal includes a new bridge which will replace the existing Blue Bridge, featuring a cast-glass balustrade that recalls Queen Elizabeth’s wedding tiara.
The winning team includes artist Yinka Shonibare and landscape designer Michel Desvigne. Heritage consultant Purcell forms part of the broader team, alongside specialists in project management, accessibility, ecology and planning.
The memorial will be located in St James’s Park, incorporating an area adjacent to The Mall at Marlborough Gate and an area adjacent to Bird Cage Walk. The design will replace the existing bridge between the two areas with a new crossing.
Committee Chair Robin Janvrin said the chosen winner presented an “ambitious and thoughtful masterplan”, which once completed “wiill allow us and future generations to appreciate Queen Elizabeth’s life of service as she balanced continuity and change with strong values, common sense and optimism throughout her long reign.”
The selection panel were said to have noted Foster + Partners’ artistry, use of space, technical skills and sensitivity to the memorial’s location. Du
Foster + Partners will now develop the initial concept in partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee. A sculptor will be selected to design the memorial’s figurative element, with the announcement expected later this year.
The final design will be announced in April 2026, alongside a legacy programme, coinciding with what would have been Queen Elizabeth’s hundredth birthday year. Final plans for the memorial in St James’s Park will be announced next year.
