Monument To Joseph Hart, North Section

This is a tall granite obelisk monument to Joseph Hart, erected in 1875. It stands on a square pedestal with a pedimental cap and a two-stage base, set above a low sandstone plinth. The monument is surrounded by iron railings with fleur de lys finials. An inscription details the events of Hart’s life and the circumstances of the monument's erection by admirers of his hymns, which were published in 1759 and remain valued within the church.

Joseph Hart (1711/1712-1768) was an Independent minister and religious writer, recognised for his hymns. He experienced a spiritual crisis early in his life, documented in his 1741 essay 'The Unreasonableness of Religion', asserting the conflict between faith and reason. He was later converted and published his popular 'Hymns &c Composed on Various Subjects' in 1759, and served as minister at Jewin Street Chapel from 1760. His funeral at Bunhill Fields in 1768 was attended by an estimated 20,000 people. Following Hart's death, a century later a subscription was raised to replace his original memorial with this more substantial structure.

Bunhill Fields Burial Ground was first enclosed in 1665. Its location outside the City boundary and independence from the established church made it a significant Nonconformist cemetery, containing the remains of John Bunyan, Daniel Defoe, William Blake, and other prominent figures. The ground was closed for burials in 1853, laid out as a park in 1867, and later landscaped by Bridgewater and Shepheard in 1964-5 following wartime damage. The monument is significant for its commemoration of a notable 18th-century religious figure, its imposing granite design reflecting late 19th-century commemorative styles, and its group value within the Grade I registered Bunhill Fields Burial Ground.