Monument to Bernard Laurence Hieatt is a Grade II listed building in the Reading local planning authority area, England. First listed on 16 April 2003. Monument.
Monument to Bernard Laurence Hieatt
- WRENN ID
- iron-rafter-woodpecker
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Reading
- Constituency
- Reading Central MP: Matt Rodda (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 16 April 2003
- Type
- Monument
- Address
- Monument to Bernard Laurence Hieatt, London Road
- OS grid reference
- SU 734 732
- Coordinates
- 51.45312, -0.94365
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The monument to Bernard Laurence Hieatt is located in Reading Cemetery and commemorates Hieatt, who died in May 1930 at the age of 21. Made of marble, the monument features a figure of a smiling young man dressed in racing uniform and tall, laced boots. He holds a helmet in his right hand, which rests on a tree stump. The figure stands on a tall plinth that slightly flares at the base and includes a projecting cornice with a stylized floral motif at each upper corner.
On the south side of the plinth, there is a panel that reads: "TO THE PROUD AND BEAUTIFUL MEMORY OF AIR PILOT BERNARD LAURENCE. THE BELOVED ELDEST SON OF B.L. & L. HIEATT. WHO WAS SUDDENLY CALLED AWAY IN HIS HOUR OF VICTORY ON MAY 3RD 1930, AFTER CREATING TWO WORLD RECORDS IN THE TWO HUNDRED MILES MOTOR CYCLE AND SIDECAR RACE AT BROOKLANDS AGED 21 YEARS." The east side features a small panel with a motorcycle carved in relief, while the west side has a similar airplane.
Bernard Laurence Hieatt began racing in 1928 and quickly gained recognition as an exceptional rider. Tragically, he was killed just a few laps from victory in a motorcycle and sidecar race at Brooklands when he was temporarily blinded by rain. This monument is not only a remarkable piece of sculpture but also holds significant historical interest and has excellent group value with other listed 19th-century monuments in the Grade II Registered Reading Cemetery.
Local climate
Monument to Bernard Laurence Hieatt sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 720 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 81% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 77% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 50% of listed buildings. Of these, 14 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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