Monument to John Swan in Abney Park Cemetery is a Grade II listed building in the Hackney local planning authority area, England. First listed on 24 March 1997. Monument.
Monument to John Swan in Abney Park Cemetery
- WRENN ID
- second-gargoyle-frost
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Hackney
- Constituency
- Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP: Ms Diane Abbott (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 24 March 1997
- Type
- Monument
- Address
- Monument to John Swan in Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington High Street, London, N16 0LH
- OS grid reference
- TQ 334 868
- Coordinates
- 51.5643, -0.07606
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The monument to John Swan, who lived from 1787 to 1869, is located in Abney Park Cemetery. It features a white marble pedestal topped with a draped urn, which was noted to be overgrown with ivy during an inspection in 1997. The monument is historically significant due to its inscription, which states that "few men have been greater benefactors to their country than the late John Swan." It highlights his invention of the screw propeller in 1824, as well as the self-acting chain messenger introduced into the navy in 1831, which reportedly saved the nation about £70,000 a year. Admiral Dundas acknowledged that this invention was a significant saving in both money and lives, yet the "ingenious and modest inventor," as described by Dr. Birkbeck, never received any remuneration for his contributions.
Local climate
Monument to John Swan in Abney Park Cemetery sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 680 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 99% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 99% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 29 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 66% of listed buildings. Of these, 13 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Similar buildings
The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.
- 1 Monument to Johanah Swan Approximately 5 Metres South of the Chancel of the Parish Church
- 2 Swain Monument in Churchyard, 16 Metres Southeast of Souteast Corner of Chancel, Church of St Andrew
- 3 Tomb of Charles Atkin Swan
- 4 Monument to Captain John Gravill in General Cemetery
- 5 Abbey Cemetery Swan Tomb
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Nearby listed buildings
- Mortuary Chapel of Abney Park Cemetery
- Monument to Samuel Robinson in Abney Park Cemetery
- Spreat Monument in Abney Park Cemetery
- Monument to Isaac Watts in Abney Park Cemetery
- Monument to Joanna Vassa in Abney Park Cemetery
- Monument to Frank Bostock in Abney Park Cemetery
- Monument to John Jay in Abney Park Cemetery
- Monument to William Tyler in Abney Park Cemetery
- Monument to Agnes Forsyth in Abney Park Cemetery
- Stoke Newington Civilian War Memorial