Memorial to Dr William Rea

Memorial to Dr William Rea

This grave monument in Jesmond Old Cemetery was erected in 1906 to commemorate Dr William Rea, who died in 1903. It was designed by the architect Robert O'Brien North, who had previously been chief assistant to the practice of Goldie, Child & Goldie before establishing his own practice. His obituary in The Builder described his individual works as "scholarly", and his notable designs include Rugby Town Hall. The monument was based on 18th-century designs.

The memorial is constructed of Portland stone set on a sandstone base. Its most significant feature is a bronze medallion set into the upper part of the monument, containing a life-size profile in relief of William Rea, executed by the eminent sculptor Francis Derwent Wood. The bronze profile is surrounded by a scrolled wreath.

Below the medallion is an inscription in Latin reading: "The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God" (Wisdom, chapter 3). The full inscription commemorates William Rea, who bore the title Music Doctor and devoted more than forty years to cultivating a love of good music amongst the people of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was born on 25 March 1827 and died on 6 March 1903. The monument also records his wife Emma Mary (1833–1893), daughter of Wesley Stoker Woolhouse, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and their two children, Emma Gertrude (died 1861, aged 6) and Emma Beatrice (died 1861, aged 3).

The monument was commissioned by Dr Rea's sons, executed in London, and transported to Newcastle for erection in 1906. Francis Derwent Wood (1871–1926) was a nationally acclaimed sculptor whose works include the Machine Gun Corps Memorial at Hyde Park Corner and portrait bronzes of T. E. Lawrence and the painter Ambrose McEvoy, held respectively in the Tate Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. He was a founder member of the Association of British Sculptors, Professor of Sculpture at the Royal College of Art from 1918 to 1923, and was elected Associate of the Royal Academy in 1910 and Royal Academician in 1920. His sculptural work is recognised for its remarkable modelling and character, with examples held in national collections.

Dr Rea was a locally important figure in late 19th-century Newcastle upon Tyne who successfully established a musical culture amongst ordinary people of the city. His significance has been recognised by a blue plaque at his last known home in Summerhill, Newcastle.

At the time of inspection in 2007, the monument had been broken into two pieces.