Cook Memorial, Wembdon Road Cemetery

736-1/0/10006 24-JUN-10

BRIDGWATER WEMBDON ROAD(North,off)Cook Memorial,Wembdon Road Cemetery

GII Commemorative monument to James Cook,who died 1911.Built to the designs of Samson and Colthurst.MATERIALS:Portland stone with a concrete core;bronze inscription panel and cross produced by the Bromsgrove Guild of Craftsman.DESCRIPTION:The upper section is bow-fronted,with composite order columns to each corner carrying an entablature.The inscription panel is framed in stone and reads:IN MEMORY OF/JAMES COOK/JUSTICE OF THE PEACE/AND FOR NINE YEARS TOWN CLERK/OF BRIDGWATER/BORN 21 NOVEMBER 1835/AT BRIDGWATER/DIED 24 NOVEMBER 1911/AT WESTON SUPER MARE.The lower stage is flanked by side extensions,each supporting a gadrooned vase;in the front of each is a projecting side wall,with stone bowls over pedestals.Between is a standing stone angel,her hands crossed over her breast.At her feet is a stone dedication plaque which reads:MEMORYS/TRIBUTE/TO MY/DEAR HUSBAND.Above the inscription is what appears to be a crown that is flanked by angels in profile.Further inscriptions are dedicated to the memory of James' wife Ellen who died in 1923;his mother Elizabeth,who died 1847;and, at the base of the monument,is a small stone plaque to Gwen E Legge who died in 1943 and was probably a family member.HISTORY: Wembdon Road Cemetery was opened in 1851.It comprised three areas:a large part for the Anglican population;a second area, which was extended later in the century, for the Non-Conformists; and a third, smaller section set aside as the pauper's graveyard. Separate mortuary chapels were also erected for the Anglicans and Non-Conformists respectively.The Cook Memorial was erected in 1912 to commemorate James Cook (1835-1911).From his epitaph,we know that he was a Justice of the Peace and the town clerk of Bridgwater for nine years.His neoclassical monument was designed by prominent Bridgwater architects Samson and Colthurst who were responsible for quite a considerable number of buildings in the town and the local area.SOURCES:Plan of monument to James Cook, Esq.JP,Bridgwater (June 1912),Somerset Record Office, Ref. A\CMY/151 REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:The Cook Memorial is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: It is an unusually ambitious Edwardian funerary monument,highly architectural in character,which draws inspiration from C18 neoclassicism Its sculptural interest:the execution of the monument,in particular the angel,is of high quality.