Lady Mary Montgomerie Monument at Beauport Park, Hastings

Summary

A memorial monument of around 1855, to Lady Mary Montgomerie.

Reasons for Designation

The Lady Mary Montgomerie Monument of around 1855 is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
 
Architectural interest:
 
*  as a good example of a neoclassical commemorative monument, in the form of a small domed Ionic temple, well-carved from good quality materials.
 
Historic interest:
 
*  for its commemoration of Lady Mary Montgomerie by her husband, Sir Charles Montolieu Lamb, who served as a Royal Equerry and as Sheriff of Sussex.

History

The monument, located in what was known as Monument Wood, was built by the Beauport estate's owner Sir Charles Montolieu Lamb as a memorial to his late wife Lady Mary Montgomerie, who died in 1848. An image from 1890 shows that a carved marble block with an inscription was located under the dome, but this is no longer in place. Another image of 1949 shows the loss of the block and an accompanying note describes that it was thrown to the ground by soldiers billeted at Beauport House, during the Second World War. It is possible that the block may have been relocated to a storage space within the base of the monument. Around the C21, a life-size female figure in classical pose was added to the monument in its place.
 
Lady Mary Montgomerie Lady Mary Montgomerie was the daughter of General Archibald Montgomerie, 11th Earl of Eglinton and is buried in Harrow, London, where her tomb is listed at Grade II (NHLE reference 1389241).
 
Sir Charles Montolieu Lamb was the owner of the estate from 1785 to 1860, and held the office of Sheriff of Sussex between 1829 and 1830 and was Equerry to the Royal Household (Knight Marshal 1824-64). He is buried in the graveyard of the Church in the Woods with St Anne's, Hollington, Hastings.
 
The late C17 or early C18 estate house was known locally as Denham's Folly because its owner went bankrupt. It was rebuilt for General Sir James Murray, Governor of Canada, in 1763-6, who renamed it Beauport after the town near Quebec. The house was destroyed by fire in 1923 and replaced by a neo-Georgian house of 1924-6 by Charles J Blomfield & Morgan, which has been a hotel since 1938.
 
The Lady Mary Montgomerie monument now lies within the boundary of a holiday park. Structural repairs have been made with brick and concrete blockwork and the entrance to the ground floor has been blocked up.

Details

A memorial monument of around 1855, to Lady Mary Montgomerie.

MATERIALS: ashlar stone and render with some repairs in block work and brick.

DESCRIPTION: the monument is circular and neoclassical in design. It has a drum-like base of ashlar walling, which is around 2.5m high and is topped by a coping course (missing in places). The entrance opening is round-headed and has a C20 wrought-iron gate. Opposite and within the drum, there is a blocked up entrance to the vault. The drum has stone steps which rise around the inside to a tempietto arrangement of six Ionic columns supporting a classical entablature with an inscription 'A TRIBUTE OF AFFECTION AND GRATITUDE TO LADY MARY MONTGOMERIE 1855 ' in the frieze and dentil cornice topped by a dome. Located under the dome is a later, life-sized sculpture of a young woman on a circular concrete base*.

* Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest. However any works which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require listed building consent and this is a matter for the LPA to determine.

Sources

Books and journals
Antram, N, Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Sussex East with Brighton and Hove, (2013), 98
Supplement in London Gazette, (2 February 1858), 483

Websites
The British Museum, accessed 3/1/2024 from https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG230434
Hastings Online, accessed 21/2/2024 from https://hastingsonlinetimes.co.uk/2022/08/page/2
The Peerage, accessed 12/4/2024 from https://thepeerage.com/p2157.htm#i21567
Photographic album of 1890 by Margaret Adamson, held at The Keep (East Sussex Records Office) AMS 7173/1/1, accessed 22/4/2024 from https://www.thekeep.info/
Photograph of the Lady Mary Montgomerie Monument dated 1949, held at The Keep (East Sussex Records Office) ACC 11248/3/14, accessed 22/4/2024 from https://www.thekeep.info/

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