Reasons for Designation
The monument to Joseph Dawson is designated for the following principal reasons:
* special architectural interest as a high-quality Portland stone monument in the neo-classical style featuring his profile in relief and a draped urn;
* of historical interest as a monument erected by public subscription to a local philanthropist, commemorated by a powerful epitaph recording his virtues;
* of group value with St Mary's Church and other listed buildings and structures.
Details
788/0/10255 BOW ROAD
24-FEB-09 Monument to Joseph Dawson in the churc
hyard of St Mary Bow
GV II
Commemorative monument to Joseph Dawson d.1854, built following public subscription. The monument is in a neo-classical style and dominates the entrance to the churchyard; the whole structure is about three metres in height. It is made of Portland stone, on a brick and stone stepped plinth. The base of the monument is moulded in three stages. The inscription faces north, includes a portrait in relief, and reads: TO TRANSMIT / TO FUTURE INHABITANTS / OF THIS PARISH AND NEIGHBOURHOOD / THE MEMORY OF A MAN / WHOSE LIFE AMIDST THE DUTIES / OF AN ARDUOUS PROFESSION / WAS DEVOTED TO THE WELFARE IMPROVEMENT / AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION / OF THE HUMBLER CLASSES / OF HIS FELLOW CREATURES / THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED / BY PUBLIC SUBSRIPTION / JOSEPH DAWSON / BORN 14 MARCH 1791 / DIED 25 APRIL 1854. The other three sides are blank. The top stage is made up of a square cornice, with egg and dart and lambs tongue decoration, surmounted by pediments adorned with wreaths and garlands and acroteria to the corners. In the centre at the top is a draped classical urn.
HISTORY: From his epitaph, we know that Joseph Dawson (1791-1854) was committed to improving welfare and the provision of religious education for the people of Bow. According to the 1851 census, Dawson was born in Salisbury, Wilts, and was a school master, living with his wife, Emma, his niece, two lodgers, who were teachers, and a servant at 60 High Street, Bow. Dawson is buried in the churchyard of the parish church of St Mary, which was created in 1825 when surrounding buildings were cleared. Schooling for children in the early C19 was carried out by voluntary organisations run by the church or charities, prior to the 1870 Act decreeing education for all children aged 5-13, leading to the prolific building of schools across the country. Greenwood's 1830 map shows a school to the north of Bow Road, and a workhouse immediately to the north of St Mary's church; Dawson could have been affiliated with either. Likewise an academy is located in between the school and the workhouse on Cross's New Plan of 1850. The Survey of London (1900) notes that the parish of Bromley-by-Bow had once been a pleasant village with 'picturesque C17 and C18 houses with tiled roofs', prior to the industrialisation and urbanisation of the area. As the population grew, and with it the increase in poverty, this might have caused Dawson to embrace philanthropic activities. Dawson's monument is located at the entrance of the churchyard (west end), near to the statue of WE Gladstone.
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The monument to Joseph Dawson is designated for the following principal reasons:
* special architectural interest as an impressive, high-quality Portland stone monument in the neo-classical style, featuring his profile in relief and a draped urn;
* of historical interest as a monument erected by public subscription to a local philanthropist, commemorated by a powerful epitaph recording his virtues;
* of group value with St Mary's Church and other listed buildings and structures.
