The Trentham Mausoleum is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

in Trentham,

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...

, built as the final resting place of the

Dukes of Sutherland Duke of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom which was created by William IV in 1833 for George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford. A series of marriages to heiresses by members of the Leveson-Gower family made the ...

Stafford Mausoleum, Trentham
/ref> from the

Leveson-Gower family Leveson-Gower ( ), also Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, is the name of a historically prominent British noble family. Over time, several members of the Leveson-Gower family were made knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the family incl ...

History

The mausoleum was built in 1807–08 for

George Leveson-Gower Sir George Granville Leveson-Gower KBE (19 May 1858 – 18 July 1951), was a British civil servant and Liberal politician from the Leveson-Gower family. He held political office as Comptroller of the Household between 1892 and 1895 and later s ...

, the 2nd Marquess of Stafford and later 1st Duke of Sutherland by architect

Charles Heathcote Tatham Charles Heathcote Tatham (8 February 1772 in Westminster, London – 10 April 1842 in London), was an English architect of the early nineteenth century. Early life He was born in Duke Street, Westminster, the youngest of five sons of Ralph Tath ...

. Heathcote Tatham was a friend of

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

, the Duke's wife, and along with his commission he constructed several buildings, including a lodge and bridges, at the nearby

Trentham Hall Trentham Estate in the village of Trentham, Staffordshire, England, is a visitor attraction on the southern fringe of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. History The estate was first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. At the time it was a royal ...

Architecture

The mausoleum is constructed in

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

in a

neo-classical style Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of the most promin ...

with

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

details. The corners of the building feature striped Greaco-Egyptian pylon-like structures, which may have been influenced by Heathcote Tatum's time in Paris, where the style was particularly popular in the late 18th century. The entrance doorway is relatively small with doors decorated in highly ornate

wrought-iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

work and a heavy stone lintel. The mausoleum is surmounted by a small tower, with louvred windows and a pyramidal roof. Above the doorway is the family

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

and the inscription ''"MDCCCVIII"'', signifying the completion date of 1808.

Conservation

The condition of the building has given cause for concern, and although some urgent repairs have been completed, it is on the

Heritage at Risk Register An annual ''Heritage at Risk Register'' is published by Historic England. The survey is used by national and local government, a wide range of individuals and heritage groups to establish the extent of risk and to help assess priorities for acti ...

References

External links

Website of Potteries.org – Neville Malkin's "Grand Tour" of the Potteries Retrieved Feb 2017
Has several old pictures, drawings and historical narrative about the Sutherland Mausoleum, Trentham {{DEFAULTSORT:Trentham Mausoleum Grade I listed buildings in Staffordshire Mausoleums in England Buildings and structures in Stoke-on-Trent Monuments and memorials in Staffordshire Structures on the Heritage at Risk register in Staffordshire

History

Architecture

Conservation

See also

References

External links