Summary

Memorial to William Walton, about 1906 erected by R Swinburne, stonemason.

Description

Memorial to William Walton, about 1906 erected by R Swinburne, stonemason.

MATERIALS: sandstone ashlar.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is Art Nouveau in style. It comprises the base of a fluted obelisk supported by four central leaf-decorated scrolls; the tapering obelisk is an early-C21 replacement. It stands upon a high corniced and panelled pedestal with a moulded plinth and scrolled, foliate diagonal corner buttresses. Each diagonal ends in an impost moulding of arched recessed panels. That on the south has the inscription in Gothic sans serif and Roman scripts: ERECTED / BY THE / OFFICIALS AND WORKMEN / OF THE DEAN AND CHAPTER COLLIERY / To the Memory / OF THE LATE/ WILLIAM WALTON / (OVERMAN) / WHO SACRIFICED HIS LIFE / IN SAVING THE LIVES / OF TWO BOYS / AT DEAN BANK / AUGUST 8TH 1906.

History

This memorial was commissioned by officials and workmen of the Dean and Chapter Colliery in about 1906 to commemorate the death of William Walton. He was returning home from the colliery on the 8 August 1906 when he saw two boys playing with electrical wires. Having intervened to prevent an accident he was himself electrocuted, leaving a widow and four children. By the early C21 the shaft of the memorial was said to be detached but retained nearby. In 2016 it is understood that the memorial was refurbished and a replacement shaft erected.

Reasons for Listing

The monument to William Walton of about 1906 is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* an attractive Art Nouveau design in the form of an obelisk, with intricate decorative detailing;
* it displays good-quality materials and craftsmanship in its design, creating a prominent landmark within the former colliery town.

Historic interest:

* erected by the Dean and Chapter Colliery to recognise the sacrifice of one of its workers in saving other members of the colliery community.

Group value:

* it benefits from a spatial, historic and functional group value with two other (war) memorials, all three of which are sited in close proximity within the town hall garden.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26414645

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)