Q In Wharton Park near Durham railway station there is a headless statue of 'Albert the Good'. Who was he? - Peter Dodd, Hebburn.

A The statue remains a mystery, particularly as its stone base may not have been built for it. It is the base that bears the inscription 'Albert the Good'.

On the opposite side of the base is another inscription and a prominent oak tree stands nearby. The oak tree and stone base with its two inscriptions were both placed in the park in 1863 by William Lloyd Wharton, chairman of the North Eastern Railway Company, who lived at nearby Dryburn Hall.

The inscription states that the tree was planted to commemorate the marriage of Prince Albert Edward to Princess Alexandra of Denmark on March 10, 1863. Albert Edward was the eldest son of Queen Victoria, who became Edward VII in 1901. However, it was Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, who was known as 'Albert the Good'. This means that the two tablets on the statue's base are not referring to the same Albert.

In 1862 there had been plans to erect a memorial to Prince Albert in Durham City but not enough money was raised. The headless figure holding the orb suggests that the statue is a royal figure. It seems unlikely that a Prince Consort or Prince of Wales would be depicted holding an orb since that is the symbol of a ruling monarch.

There are detailed contemporary descriptions of the planting of the oak, but no mention of a statue. So where did the statue come from? The stone statue was almost certainly made in the Victorian era and it is known that the sculptor was J Gibson. It seems to depict a monarch in medieval robes and it is thought that the statue was originally located at another site, perhaps within Durham City and then moved to this spot. One possibility is that it was a statue of Queen Victoria. In view of Victoria's powerful relationship with her husband it would not have been inappropriate to place a statue of the queen above an inscription to the memory of 'Albert the Good'.

Of course it could be a completely unrelated figure. Maybe it was deliberately decapitated so that no one would ever remember its true identity in the centuries to come. The truth is that we may never know.

If you have a Burning Question, or can improve on the answer above, please write to Burning Questions, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF or e-mail david.simpson@nne.co.uk

If you have a Burning Question, or can improve on any of the answers above, please write to Burning Questions, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF or e-mail David.Simpson@nne.co.uk

Published: 26/05/2003