Dr Barnardo'S Memorial At Barnardo'S

Dr Barnardo's Memorial at Barnardo's

A memorial to Thomas John Barnardo, erected in 1908 and designed by renowned sculptor George Frampton RA. The monument was unveiled by the Duchess of Albany and marks the spot where Dr Barnardo's ashes were interred in 1905, following his death at his home, St Leonard's Lodge in Surbiton, on 19 September 1905. His funeral on 27 September was a major event, with a cortege processing through the streets of the East End to Liverpool Street Station. After lying in the village church for public mourning, Barnardo's remains were cremated on 4 October—an unusual choice for a public figure at that time. Frampton undertook the commission without fee or reward.

The memorial takes the form of an exedra, following the ancient Greek architectural tradition of a semi-circular recess incorporating seating. It comprises a bronze female figure representing Charity, with her arms around two children, standing on a granite plinth with tall granite quadrant walls incorporating benches, all set on a stepped base. On the plinth face is a high-relief bronze panel depicting an almost life-size group of three girls, modelled on residents of the Village Homes. One of the three girls is represented wearing surgical callipers on her legs; she is remembered as being called Emily, who later became a member of Barnardo's staff. Above the panel is a portrait of Dr Barnardo in an aedicule framed by foliage, ribbons, and the inscription 'IN MEMORY OF / 1843 DR BARNARDO 1905'. At the peak of the foliage is a heraldic lion and crown, inspired by the crest on a ring worn by Barnardo in his lifetime. Below the panel, the base is inscribed with words from Dr Barnardo's will: 'I HOPE TO DIE AS I HAVE LIVED / IN THE HUMBLE BUT ASSURED FAITH OF / JESUS CHRIST / AS / MY SAVIOUR, MY MASTER AND MY KING'. The quadrant walls carry biblical inscriptions: 'SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME / FOR OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN' on the left and 'IN AS MUCH AS YE DID IT UNTO ONE OF THE LEAST / OF THESE MY BRETHREN YE DID IT UNTO ME' on the right. A small memorial to Syrie Barnardo, the philanthropist's wife, who died in 1944, is set into the paving in front of the central plinth.

George Frampton (1860–1928) was trained at the South London Technical Art School, the Royal Academy Schools, and in the studios of Antonin Mercié in Paris and Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm in London. He served as master of the Art-Workers' Guild in 1902, was one of the founding signatories of the Society of British Sculptors in 1904, its president in 1911–12, and a member of the Royal Fine Arts Commission from its foundation in 1924. He was knighted in 1908. Frampton is best remembered for his statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, London, erected in 1912, as well as memorials to Edith Cavell at St Martin's Place, Quentin Hogg at Portland Place, and WS Gilbert at Thames Embankment.

The monument originally stood between two of the village greens, overlooked by cottage homes. The southern green cottages were demolished in the 1960s. It now occupies the south-eastern edge of the Barnardo's site and has group value with the listed cottage homes, particularly Cairn's Cottage.