This extraordinary mausoleum is the first thing to catch your eye as you walk through the cemetery gates from Norwood Road. It is square and has a ‘dish-faced’ spire surmounted by a statue of Christ blessing a small child. There are cross-shaped windows cut into the spire and the entrance has bronze doors with glazed panels of similar form. The exterior is of Portland stone but inside it is lined with marble and mosaic. There are marble benches round the sides and tablets with inscriptions on the walls. One reads: “To the many sacred friends whose love and devotion made the world beautiful for me”, others say “Fear no one”, “Pain no one”, “Hate no one” and “Envy no one”. The words “Hope”, “Light” and “Life” are incised on the coving. The Maddick tomb has the initials DM on the front. This stands for Distim Maddick, the doctor's curious name, but it also stands for Dis Manibus, ie the two letters found at the top of almost any ancient Roman tombstone - meaning "to the souls of the departed".
Dr Edmund Distin Maddick (1857-1939) was a surgeon in the Royal Navy, before becoming Admiral Surgeon of the Fleet. He was also extremely keen on the dramatic arts, including cinema, and built the Scala Theatre (now demolished) in 1904-5. His special interest in cinema led to his theatre being used as a venue for early film and, partly as a result of this, in 1915 he was appointed as a liaison officer for British film camera operations on the Western Front. The mausoleum was built in 1931 some eight years before he died in 1939.
Mausoleum with attached forecourt kerbing and paving. Built 1931 although Maddick did not die until 1939. Architect unknown.
Portland stone. Square plan, stepped at the base, with unusual scooped-profile, tapering stone roof pierced by a tall glazed cross shaped window on each face, surmounted by sculptured figures of Christ, left hand raised in blessing, and a young child; bay leaf eaves cornice.
Central entrance of enriched, eared stone doorcase with central, inset stepped pediment having a sculptured armorial device surmounted by a fluted lamp; glazed bronze double doors the central panels forming a cross, of similar shape to those on the roof, with the-letter DM set on it referring not only to the name of the deceased but also the traditional sepulchral abbreviation DOM.
Other 3 sides each pierced by a window having a surround similar to the doorcase but without the pediment; patterned glazing including crosses with circular centres.
Interior marble lined with Ionic pilasters supporting a festoon frieze, mosaic floor, marble side benches decorated with wreaths in imitation of sarcophagi, glazed domed ceiling with mosaic spandrels including a lamp design. Marble urns on window sills. Inset wall tablets of interest for humanistic sentiment characteristic of a strain of Anglicanism of the period; examples of the inscriptions read "To the many sacred friends whose love and devotion made the world beautiful for me", "Fear no one", "pain no one", "Hate no one", "Envy no one" and the words "Hope", "Light" and "Life" are inscribed on the coping. Forecourt paving laid in Omega shape with inset symbols of Alpha and Omega; raised kerb with dies containing flower holders.
Maddick was a surgeon who also rebuilt the Scala Theatre, 1905 and was Director of Kinematography in WW I.