Description

901-1/0/10132
30-JAN-03

BRISTOL
BATH ROAD
Challenger Monument, Arnos Vale Cemetery

GV
II

Tomb of the Challenger Family
Late 19th century. Bath stone. A tall grave marker consisting of a highly unusual assemblage of classical motifs arranged in a manner reminiscent of Indian grave markers. The square pedestal at the lowest level has engaged colonnettes to the corners; above this is a short stage with paired colonnettes to each angle. The next stage has free-standing colonnettes carrying a full entablature, with an inner block to the centre. The superstructure consists of a tapering section, square at the bottom, with arched panels to each face: above is a ring of colonnettes carrying an octagonal entablature, on top of which is a fluted and reeded shaft with entablature and a final, uppermost, finial.
HISTORY: this highly unusual memorial, of local manufacture, appears to be inspired by the nearby tomb of Raja Rammohun Roy Bahadoor (d.1833). It is a strange, provincial, fusion of classical and Indian forms and of considerable group value. It also contrasts markedly with the run of cemetery monuments of this period, which were mass-produced and conventional in form. The earliest legible inscription refers to Catherine Challenger (d.1925), but the monument appears to be rather older.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26633623

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

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)