Freshfield Family Grave

The Freshfield Family Grave is a memorial located in Brookwood Cemetery, dedicated to Henry Douglas Freshfield, who lived from 1877 to 1891. Designed by the sculptor Edward Onslow Ford in 1892, it features Carara and Siena marble with bronze embellishments and is enclosed by wrought iron railings with a quatrefoil pattern.

At the center of the memorial is a large, moulded sarcophagus styled after 15th-century Florentine design, adorned with urns and festoon decorations on the sides, along with inscription plaques on the top. Behind the sarcophagus, nestled among yew trees, stands a tall pedimented aedicule. This structure has a lower panel, pilaster capitals, frieze, and tympanum that are all enhanced with bronze. The frieze showcases peacocks, butterflies, and garlands, while the pediment features a relief of Apollo in his chariot.

Between fluted Corinthian pilasters made of Siena marble is a bas-relief group depicting two naked putti holding inverted torches, symbols of death, flanking a parade shield. Above this scene is a profile portrait of the young Henry Freshfield, dressed in an Eton collar.

The memorial also honors Freshfield's parents, Augusta, who died in 1911, and Douglas, who passed away in 1934. Douglas Freshfield was a notable barrister, mountaineer, and travel writer. This memorial is recognized as one of the most elaborate in the cemetery and exemplifies the high sculptural quality and design of the late Victorian Renaissance Revival period.