Bridgwater War Memorial

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FrancisEgerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater and 6th Earl of Bridgewater was a pioneer in the construction of canals during the early part of the Industrial Revolution. In 1761, he opened the Bridgewater Canal in North West England to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester, later extending it to Runcorn and then to Leigh. It is often said to be the first true canal in Britain, and earned him the nickname of "the Canal Duke".[3]

The monument is near the family seat, Ashridge House in Hertfordshire, which the Duke neglected for many years and then decided to rebuild.Although he demolished the dilapidated house, he did not see through his ambitious plans as he died in 1803, leaving the ruins to his successor, John Egerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater, who built a new house.[4]

The Canal Duke was buried in the family mausoleum in the Church of St Peter and St Paul in the village of Little Gaddesden, around 1.8 miles (2.9 km) east of the monument. A marble wall monument there commemorates his death.[5]

A memorial to the Duke was considered by his successor, the 7th Earl of Bridgewater, but it was not until the death of his brother, Francis Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater in 1829 that funds were made available. The 8th Earl left in his will 13,500 (equivalent to 1,584,293 in 2023) and instructions to build a monument to the Canal Duke.[6]

At the time, Charlotte Catherine Anne, Countess of Bridgewater and widow of the 7th Earl, was still in residence at Ashridge. She objected to the erection of an obelisk, which she considered to be in poor taste, and at her behest, the monument to the Canal Duke was sited some distance from Ashridge House so as not to be seen. To build the monument, the family appointed Sir Jeffry Wyattville, the architect who also worked on the Gothic Revival house on the estate. In line with the countess's wishes, he altered the design to that of a Greek column.[7][8][9]

THIS COLUMN WAS ERECTED CONFORMABLE WITH THE INTENTION OF JOHN WILLIAM EARL OF BRIDGEWATER ACCORDING TO THE TESTAMENTARY DIRECTION OF FRANCIS HENRY EARL OF BRIDGEWATER AND WITH THE APPROBATION OF CHARLOTTE C. ANNE COUNTESS OF BRIDGEWATER IN HONOUR OF FRANCIS THIRD DUKE OF BRIDGEWATER, WHO BY DEVOTING THE ENERGIES OF HIS MIND TO THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE MOST SPLENDID WORKS OF INLAND NAVIGATION OPENED A NEW FIELD TO NATIONAL INDUSTRY AND RENDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT SERVICES TO THE COMMERCIAL INTERESTS OF HIS COUNTRY

Although the waterway most closely associated with the deceased was the Bridgewater Canal, it is thought that the monument was erected to celebrate the construction of the Grand Junction Canal, which passes around 1.3 miles (2.1 km) south-west of the site. The Bridgewater Monument stands on Moneybury Hill, a protruding part of the Ashridge plateau, and overlooks the village of Aldbury.[1]

Today the Bridgewater Monument, like the Ashridge Estate, is in the care of the National Trust. At weekends, the monument is open to visitors, who can climb 172 steps inside the column to enjoy views of Ashridge and the Chiltern Hills. It is also possible to see as far as Canary Wharf in east London.[10]

Bridgwater War Memorial is a Grade II* listed[1] war memorial located on King Square in Bridgwater, Somerset, England, on the site previously occupied by Bridgwater Castle. It was designed by John Angel in the mid-1920s.[2][3] The green figure of the memorial is allegorical,[4] representing "Civilization as a seated female, holding a globe in one hand and with the book of knowledge on her lap."[5]

John Angel sculpted the Angel of Bridgwater.[6] Mounted on a plinth, a female figure of 'Civilisation' lofts the world, which is encircled by emblems of commerce and peace. Under her foot are the "demons of war." The throne and figure are backed by "relief depictions of Labour, Home, Life and Education."[7] On her lap is a book of laws, and she is surrounded by children. Indeed, given its monumental breadth, the many details in the design, and its metaphorical and iconic form, the sculpture is subject to colorful and variant interpretations and description.[1][6][7][8] The bronze was cast by W Morris Art Bronze Foundry.[7]

At the time, Angel was working four years as assistant to Sir George Frampton,[2] and Frampton's influence is apparent.[9] Figures from the roughly contemporaneous Exeter War Memorial, specifically "Peace" (also known as Victory[8]) were exhibited by Angel at The Royal Academy in 1922,[3] being exhibited in the courtyard of Burlington House,[8] as were other studies of the Bridgwater War Memorial on several occasions.[2]

The memorial was unveiled by General the Earl of Cavan (then Chief of the Imperial General Staff) on 25 September 1924,[7][10] to commemorate the fallen of World War I. Further names have been added following World War II, the Korean War. Falklands Conflict[7][11] and the Afghan conflict.[A] It has been characterised as, "An exceptionally fine and moving memorial, which forms an important focal point to this fine late Georgian square."[1]

In 2009 the memorial benefited from a small stipend from War Memorials Trust, which was used to replace bronze plaques and add a new one. The new plaques are said to be a precise match in form and typeface for those that were replaced.[6]

Yes. Any memorial placed in our cemeteries must be fixed by a stonemason listed with the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM) or on the Register of Qualified Memorial Fixers (NAMM RQMF).

The whole of the grave will be turfed/grass seeded flat and mown by the Council staff. Movable/permanent items such as pots, vases, and ornaments, are not permissible on the grave space infront of the headstone. Grave surrounds of any kind such as fences, kerbs, stones, etc. and plants, bulbs, shrubs and trees planted in the soil are not permitted and will be removed by the Council

You are able to purchase a seat in both Bristol Road and Quantock Road Cemetery. A location for the seat will be identified by the cemeteries staff. If there is a certain area you would like the seat to be placed, please let us know. We will try to find a location that is suitable, as near as possible to your request.

The seat must be purchased through the Cemeteries Office and the cost includes the purchase, fixing of the seat and maintenance for 10 years. Inscriptions can be provided by the person making the order or we can obtain a quote from our suppliers. Please see fees and charges for the price (this does not include the inscription).

A specially trained member of staff or contractor will start by doing a visual inspection of the memorial, followed by a hand test. This will involve pressure being applied to the memorial to check for movement. In most cases, there will be no movement and a record will be kept that the memorial has passed the test If the memorial moves it will fail the test. Please see our Memorial Safety Policy for more information.

Safety inspections and testing are required to ensure our cemeteries are a safe place for visitors and for

employees working in them. Sadly, over the past few years there have been several incidents in other

cemeteries around the country where unstable memorials have fallen over onto people, including children,

resulting in both fatalities and serious injuries. The Health and Safety Executive, who encourage, regulate and

enforce workplace safety in the UK (HSE), are interested in Memorial Safety and have issued notifications to

Local Authorities insisting that they have policies and procedures in place to ensure the stability of memorials.

Bridgwater Town Council has a responsibility for the safety of all visitors to the cemeteries and those working

in them.

The holder of the Exclusive Right of Burial for the grave is responsible for keeping the memorial repaired and

in a safe condition. However, the Council has the obligation of making the cemeteries safe and will use

reasonable means to ensure the safety of those working in or visiting it. A warning notice will be attached to

any memorial if it is found to be in an unsafe condition and the holder of the Exclusive Right of burial

contacted to arrange a permanent repair with a qualified, registered, monumental mason.

Each memorial will be given a visual check to assess condition. It will then be given a push test (steady,

gentle pressure applied to the top of the memorial) to check its stability. The results of the test are logged

and recorded. This safety check is carried out by officers of the council or its chosen contractors.

As the cemeteries are a public space, the council has a duty of care to make sure an unstable memorial is

made safe immediately. Depending on the level of danger posed by unstable memorials, it will either be

temporarily made safe and a warning notice will be applied to the memorial or, in the case of an immediate,

high-risked hazard, the memorial will be laid flat and a warning notice applied to the memorial. In both cases,

the council will then contact the holder(s) of the Exclusive Right of Burial for the grave to inform them.

Grants to support the repair and conservation of war memorials are available from the charity War Memorials Trust if it has raised funds. Support is focused on war memorials in Very bad or Poor condition or where there is a serious Concern.

The Pre-application enquiry form is a series of questions to see if your project is eligible. If it is, you will need to provide further details and submit current colour photographs of the war memorial in either a png, gif, jpg or jpeg format.

Please be aware that a summary of your enquiry, without your contact details, will appear on this page once submitted. This ensures others are aware that an enquiry has been made and can read the response to avoid duplicate enquiries. Information provided by you to us will be used for the purpose of managing the grant enquiry, for further details please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy .

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