Summary
Mausoleum of Colonel William Meyrick, c.1855.
Reasons for Designation
* Architectural: a particularly large and imposing Neo-classical mausoleum with good surviving ironwork;
* Group value: it is located within the Grade I-registered Brompton Cemetery and has group value with other listed tombs and structures nearby.
History
Brompton Cemetery was one of the 'magnificent seven' privately-run burial grounds established in the 1830s and 1840s to relieve pressure on London's overcrowded churchyards. It was laid out in 1839-1844 to designs by the architect Benjamin B Baud, who devised a classical landscape of axial drives and vistas with rond-points at the intersections marked by mausolea or ornamental planting, the latter devised by Isaac Finnemore with advice from J C Loudon. The main Ceremonial Way culminates in a dramatic architectural ensemble recalling Bernini's piazza in front of St Peter's in Rome, with flanking colonnades curving outwards to form a Great Circle, closed at its southern end in a domed Anglican chapel (the planned Catholic and Nonconformist chapels were omitted for financial reasons). The cemetery, never a commercial success, was compulsorily purchased by the General Board of Health in the early 1850s, and has remained in state ownership ever since.
Details
MATERIALS: Portland stone A large Neo-classical mausoleum, rectangular on plan, with fielded panels to the sides and rear, pedimented ends and a ridged stone roof with large honeysuckle acroteria. Heavy door of cast iron, stained to resemble bronze, with four panels bearing openwork and relief ornament. Bronze armorial plaque in front pediment. Surrounded by iron railings of Classical design.
Sources
Books and journals Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: London 3 North West, (1991), pp.470-471 Sheppard, FHW, Survey of London: Volume 41: Brompton, (1983), pp.246-252 Stevens Curl, J, The Victorian Celebration of Death, (1972), pp.211-129Other Brompton Cemetery Burial Records (BR 6373) and Grant Books (BB7450), held at the National Archives,
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
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