Albert, Queen Victoria’s German-born husband (and, um, first cousin), was a passionate supporter of the arts who piloted Britain from one dazzling creative triumph to another. But when he died suddenly of typhoid (some say Crohn’s disease) in 1861 at age 42, the devastated queen abruptly withdrew from the gaiety and remained in mourning until her death in 1901, shaping the Victorian mentality. She arranged for this astounding spire—part bombast, part elegy—to be erected in 1872 opposite the concert hall Albert spearheaded. Some of its nearly 200 figures represent the continents and the sciences, and some, higher up, represent angels and virtues. It’s Victorian high-mindedness in stone. At the center, as if on an altar, is Albert himself, gleaming in gold. Guided explanations happen at 2 and 3pm on the first Sunday of each month, March to December ([tel] 020/8969-0104; no reservations required; 45 min.; £9).