Queen Victoria's Horseshoe

All over the world, you can find monuments to individuals who have achieved greatness or accomplished monumental feats of brilliance. In some cases, these memorials commemorate a particular event, like the stone where Mozart allegedly stopped to relieve himself or the spot where Barack and Michelle Obama shared their first kiss. This is also the case with what may be the smallest memorial devoted to Queen Victoria, who perhaps has more statues dedicated to her throughout the world than any other one person.

In the small village of Dunblane, just north of Stirling, is an innocuous memento dedicated to an event that took place during Queen Victoria’s reign. The monarch was traveling with her beloved Prince Albert, when a horse that was carrying the royal couple lost a shoe, as they passed over the town’s bridge.

A local blacksmith stepped up to repair the damage and the detritus was adhered to the wall with a plaque that reads: “On the corner of this building are the remains of a horseshoe, nails, and crown placed here by Mr. Mckenzie, after he had re-shoed a horse carrying Queen Victoria’s carriage during her visit on 13th September 1842.”