The Bentinck Memorial at Mansfield

The memorial was the work of Nottingham architect T.C. Hine, I think, and erected in 1849.  The missing statue was to be of Lord George Bentinck in whose memory it was erected. 

It could not possibly be even considered for demolition now. It is recognised as being extremely important as one of the earliest examples of the Victorian Gothic Revival, as well as being one of the easiest 19th Century Gothic structures to look at, since you can stand so close. Some interesting 19th Century prints of it in Mansfield Library which make it look a bit taller and more elegant than it really is!

I wonder if Tim Bentinck the actor a descendant of Lord George Bentinck has any comment to make on the subject.

I was googling to see if this was a Elenor Cross (as at Charing Cross Station).

I'm in the Victorian Soc. and Brick Soc.  I'm obviously pleased to see this survive.

If you look at St. Pancras Grand Hotel (1876) in London you will notice many plinths without statues due to lack of funds. 

Paul M (Alfreton).

My father in-law Alec Maskill was an architect and the councillor who lead the efforts to retain the memorial.  He tells of going up in a cherry picker to inspect the damage and plan the restoration effort.

Alec was also consulting architect to the diocese and restored many churches.  He designed and supervised the building of St Paul's church in Manton Main in Notts.

In the book A Visit to Sherwood Forest (Collinson: Mansfield, 1850) the unnamed author provides a most interesting description of the memorial as it was actually being erected:-

"From the funds of a general subscription, is now in course of erection in the market-place, to the memory of the lamented Lord George Bentinck.

"The very beautiful design is by Mr T.C. Hine of Nottingham, the Architect, and the building is committed to Mr Lindley of this place [ie Mansfield].

"The work progresses well, and will, when finished, be an exquisite structure in itself, and a fit tribute to the indomitable courage and energetic eloquence of him who stood so boldly forward, and so ably combatted what he deeply felt to be changes fraught with hazard to the prosperity of his country".

26/11/19 

I have carried out some restoration on this beautiful monument today, stone cleaning technique using thermatech. Nice clean stone work now.

Nice to see the restoration work on the Bentinck Memorial on the market place, its a pity only the bottom quarter of the memorial has been cleaned, its a shame they could not continue and clean the whole of it, which would look a lot better.

This memorial is unique and needs to be kept in good condition, if it is a question of cost some publicity might generate an interest in it

I am now 84 years old .  As a young boy I worked in MELIAS GROCERY STORE  Market St. The Bentinck memorial I saw every day in my young working life . I thought even then what a unique piece of work . In fact in my opinion it represents  Mansfield and should be treasured . Long may it last  .

RAYMOND ASHTON .

Thanks for all the comments. I was just reading 'Darwin's Ghosts' by Rebecca Stott (about how ideas about evolution developed over the centuries) and the name Count Bentinck starts off chapter 5. The date was 1740 and place Holland. Bentinck always struck me as an unusual name and chasing it up discovered the connection with a renowned Dutch family and the monument in Mansfield market place. Extraordinary story and so glad the proposed demolition never took place!