“Memorial to Philip Meadows” by John Flaxman, All Saints, Kingston-upon-Thames

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Memorial to Philip Meadows

John Flaxman (1755-1826)

1795

Marble

All Saints Church

Market Place, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey

Summed up as "a cherub on a cloud below an urn" (Nairn and Pevsner 331), this lovely memorial in Kingston's parish church is in such deep relief that the cherub's arm and a section of the book stand right out from the plaque. [Commentary continues below.]

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Photograph and text by Jacqueline Banerjee

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From a prominent and titled family, Meadows was Deputy Ranger of Richmond Park, not far from Kingston. He died in 1781. Also remembered here are his wife, the Right Honourable Lady Frances Meadows, and their son Thomas, who predeceased them both (see Biden 48). The text beneath the memorial explains that the memorial was erected by the four surviving sons, Evelyn, Charles, William and Edward.

Bibliography

Biden, William Downing. The History and Antiquities of the Ancient and Royal Town of Kingston-upon-Thames. Kingston: William Lindsey, 1852. Internet Archive. Contributed by Oxford University. Web. 9 May 2015.

Nairn, Ian, Nikolaus Pevsner, rev. Bridget Cherry. The Buildings of England: Surrey. 2nd ed. London: Penguin, 1971.

Venning, Timothy. "Meadows, Sir Philip (bap. 1626, d. 1718), diplomat" (this mentions Philip Meadows, his third son, who died in 1781). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 9 May 2015.

Last modified 9 May 2015