Monument to Joseph Hughes, Middle Enclosure is a Grade II listed building in the Islington local planning authority area, England. First listed on 21 February 2011. Monument.

Monument to Joseph Hughes, Middle Enclosure

WRENN ID
far-entrance-summer
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Islington
Constituency
Islington South and Finsbury MP: Emily Thornberry (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
21 February 2011
Type
Monument
Address
Monument to Joseph Hughes, Middle Enclosure, Bunhill Fields Burial Ground
OS grid reference
TQ 327 822
Coordinates
51.52367, -0.08857
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The monument is a red granite obelisk erected in 1874 to commemorate Joseph Hughes (1769-1835), a prominent figure in British missionary history and co-founder of the Religious Tract Society and the British and Foreign Bible Society. It stands within the Middle Enclosure of Bunhill Fields Burial Ground, a Grade I listed site that served as London's principal Nonconformist cemetery from 1665 until its closure in 1853.

The monument consists of an obelisk set upon a square pedestal with a moulded cornice and base, which in turn rests on a two-stage square plinth. The primary inscription on the pedestal details Hughes’s life and work, while a secondary inscription on the plinth below notes that the monument was erected in 1874 "by friends who venerate his excellencies." The monument is an imposing example of late 19th-century commemorative styles, constructed from granite and adding to the group value of the other listed tombs in the Middle Enclosure of Bunhill Fields.

Local climate

Monument to Joseph Hughes, Middle Enclosure sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 95% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 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.

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  4. Monument to William and Catherine Sophia Blake, Central Broadwalk Grade II 21 m
  5. Monument to Sarah and John Wheatly, East Enclosure Grade II* 24 m
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  7. Monument to Thomas Rosewell, South Enclosure Grade II 31 m
  8. Monument to Joseph Waddington, East Enclosure Grade II 32 m
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  10. King and Du Pont Family Monument, South Enclosure Grade II 34 m