The Bridgewater Monument

The Bridgewater Monument is a neo-Classical monument constructed between 1831 and 1832 by Sir Jeffry Wyatville for Lord Farnborough, acting as executor to the will of the 8th Earl of Bridgewater. It was built by Philip Nowell of Pimlico, starting in 1831. The monument commemorates Francis, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, and was erected in honour of his contributions to inland navigation. It is built of grey micaceous granite, with steps and the interior of the base in yellow freestone. The finial is a large copper urn, with wrought iron for the balustrade around the top, a handrail, and a grill at the entrance.

The monument is in the form of a fluted Greek Doric column, approximately 40 metres high, topped with an urn. The abacus serves as a viewing platform. It sits upon a stepped, cubical base with a battered plinth, featuring two offsets and tall, vertical projections in the middle of each side. A rectangular entrance, accessed by two steps in the East projection, has a plain surround with converging uprights and faces a designed vista eastward towards Ashridge House in Little Gaddesden. The pedestal bears an inscription, dating from around 1833, using sunk sans serif lettering, which reads "IN HONOUR OF/FRANCIS, THIRD DUKE OF BRIDGEWATER/"FATHER OF INLAND NAVIGATION"/1832”.

A contemporary brass plate in the entrance passage provides a detailed inscription commemorating John William, Earl of Bridgewater, Francis Henry, Earl of Bridgewater, and Charlotte C. Anne, Countess of Bridgewater, and recognizing Francis, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater's contribution to national industry and commercial interests.

The monument is situated on a spur at the highest point in the parish, 731 feet above ordnance datum. It was intended to commemorate the completion of the Grand Junction Canal, and stands as a formal monument of the canal era, built at its height and prior to the development of railways.