The Ashton Memorial
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Williamson Park, itself, previously
a stone quarry, was presented to the City by James Williamson,
a linoleum manufacturer, whose son was later to become Lord Ashton.The
Ashton Memorial was a later addition, being completed in 1909
by Lord Ashton and employing some of the most advanced building
techniques of the day. It is a remarkable example of the revival
of the English Baroque style in English architecture and was
once described by Sir Nicholas Pevsner as "the grandest
monument in England".
In 1904 Lord Ashton undertook this second phase development of Williamson Park. As a crowning glory for the park and a striking landmark for the whole of the surrounding countryside, he commissioned 'a structure' to be built. The commission may have been prompted by the death of his second wife, Jessie that year. However, the presentation plaque on the ground floor of the memorial merely dedicates the building to members of his family. Sir John Belcher, a London architect of high repute, was secured for the commission. In 1906 the model, on show in the memorial today, was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London
