of other local worthies. The carving of monuments must have become something of a production line; a monument to Thomas Ramsey, a miners' leader who died in 1873, bearsamarkedsimilarityto that to Harry Clasper. Though capable of producing respectable work, such as a group of figures including Neptune on the former Fish Market in Newcastle upon Tyne, his work is often of a more dubious artistic merit: another statue to a local worthywasdescribedin thefirsteditionPevsner forDurhamas "probablythefunniestmonument in the County" and by a colleague as resembling a giant garden gnome. THE MONUMENTS Two of these great oarsmen were buried in Gateshead and their monuments have been the subject of recent restorations, Chambers was buried in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne. Clasper is the only one of the three represented standing, and is depicted in formal working-class dress of the period. The monument is listed and a Buildings at Risk survey revealed it to be at serious risk as the four columns supporting his baldacchino were in an advanced state of decay. Repairs were recently successfully completed at a cost of around£20,000 with the help of a Buildings at Risk grant from English Heritage. Four new columns had to be carved Monument to Robert Coombes, Clasper's great London rival, topped by an upturned skiff, in Brampton Cemetery, London. He died insane in 1860. together with various pieces of missing detail. The works were complicated by the monument's position in the middle of a crowded graveyard and involved the delicate operation of lifting the baldacchino some 40 mfrom the Rectory carpark with the aid of a very large crane. James Renforth's body was returned from Canada and interred in Gateshead East Cemetery. The monument shows Renforth dying in the arms of his friend and crew member Henry Kelly. The illustrated London News remarked that "the sculptor ... has shown the relaxed muscles and fading expression of consciousness of the dying Renforth". Unfortunately, his monument was repeatedlyvandalised and was eventually removed to storage, where it lay half forgotten for a number of years. It has now been successfully reinstated, at a cost of about£4,500 outside the town's art galleryasthe focus ofa new ramped access. In restoring these two monuments to heroes of yesteryear it is important to remember who these men were: the memory of their deeds is what makes these artistically rather ordinary monuments of special significance. The repair and reinstatement of these monuments seems to have been warmly appreciated by the wider public, and to mark this work, and to celebrate the history of rowing on the Tyne, it is hoped to stage a commemorative regatta during 1996. JohnPendleburyisConseruation Officerwith Gateshead Council. Views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily Gateshead Council's. G!a§§ifor peiriod window§ D.C. & S. BROADBENT ENGINEERING \ ~ The London Crown Glass Company specialises in providing authentic glass for the windows of period buildings. Architectural and Restoration Ironwork Specialist The GardenArbour,MelbourneHall, Derbyshirec.l 710 This glass, handblown using the traditional techniques of the glass blowers, is specified by English Heritage, The National Trust, the Crown Estates and indeed many others involved in the conservation of Britain's heritage. Specify authentic period glass for your restoration projects. I Committed to the highest standards of quality in the art of ironwork conservation I • THE LONDON CROWN GLASS COMPANY Pyghtle House, Misbourne Avenue, Gerrards Cross, Bucks. SL9 OPD Tel/Fax O1494 871966 CONTEXT49 D.C. & S. BROADBENT ENGINEERING THE FORGE, PAVEMENT LANE, MOBBERLEY,KNUTSFORD, CHESHlRE WA16 7ED TELEPHONE, MOBBERLEY 01565 873743 FAX, 01565 872067 29
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