Cholera Monument

The Cholera Monument is a structure built in 1835 by Matthew Ellison Hadfield to honor those who died in the Asiatic cholera epidemic of 1832 in Sheffield. In around 1900, alterations were made to the flying buttresses for increased stability, and a major restoration took place from 2003 to 2004.

Constructed from local Rivelin gritstone, the restored sections use Cat Castle Buff sandstone from Dunhouse Quarries in Cumbria, while the new sculptures are made from limestone sourced from Harton Park Bottom Bed near Bath. A stainless steel cross has been added to the top.

This Gothic Revival monument is located in Monument Gardens on a slight mound, providing a view over the city and positioned at the south-west end of a straight axial walk. The structure is triangular in plan, resembling an Eleanor Cross, and features a spire that rises from the ground. It has a tall, slender shaft divided into three stages, supported by buttresses and resting on a stepped base.

The first stage is set on a four-stepped base with a two-stepped plinth and originally had open buttresses, which have since been filled in to create blank, pointed lancets. The central shaft includes a larger blank pointed lancet on each face. The second stage features stepped buttresses and a cusped, ogee-headed niche on each face of the shaft, each containing a statue that replaces the original, eroded figures. These statues represent Faith, holding a wine goblet; Hope, with a Lamb of God; and Charity, with a wheat-sheaf. The third stage culminates in a slender spire adorned with blank pointed lancets with cusping and a steep pyramidal cap, topped by the stainless steel cross that replaces the original.