Description

779/15/10031 LEE TERRACE
01-JUN-07 LEE
Monument to Anne Sladen, Lee Old Churc
hyard

GV II
Box tomb, erected c.1814 to Anne Sladen (d.1814), and other family members. A stone Neo-Classical box tomb with tapering angle pilasters decorated with flaming torches, a symbol of mortality widely used on churchyard tombs and headstones. The cornice has a tongue and dart motif, and the top of the tomb is a shallow square pyramid. Each corner would have had a semi-circular 'Soanian style' corner terminal, but only one remains with a wreath decoration.

HISTORY: Lee old churchyard contains many notable monuments which reflect the area's Georgian past as a place of retirement for City merchants and those involved with Greenwich and the Deptford shipyards. In the centre of the churchyard stand the remains of the tower belonging to the former medieval Church of St Margaret (listed Grade II). The current Church of St Margaret stands to the south side of Lee Terrace (1839-41, listed Grade II*). The churchyard of the current church contains later tombs, being used principally between the 1840s and 1870s. A decline in usage came with the opening of Hither Green Cemetery, Lee in 1873. This tomb was erected in c.1814 to Anne Sladen (d.1814). Other family members are also listed on the tomb, including her daughter Emma Mary Sladen (d.1829).

SOURCES
E and J Birchenough, Monumental Inscriptions in the Old Churchyard, St Margaret's, Lee (1967 typescript in Manor House Library)
C P Gwilt (1830), F Bamping (2001) et al, Lee - Kent Archaeological Society website.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: The tomb of Anne Sladen (d.1814), and other family members, Lee old churchyard, Lewisham, is a handsome stone box tomb in the Greek Revival style. It meets the criteria for listing as an early C19 tomb of good architectural quality.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q27087119

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

• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)