Lady Harriet - Walkden, UK - Citizen Memorials on Waymarking.com

The memorial, erected in 1868 by public subscription, used to be in the centre of Walkden at a major road junction. Increasing road traffic required the road junction to be modified and the monument was dismantled and re-erected at this position in the grounds of St. Paul's Church in 1968.

There is a Walkden history board next to the monument with some information about the memorial, Lady Harriet and her husband Lord Francils.

The Lady Harriet Memorial
In 1868, the Monument to commemorate Lady Harriet was erected in the centre of the main crossroads in Walkden. It was fifty-foot high, made up of three distinct sections, a tabernacle supporting a thirteenth century Eleanor Cross, topped by a Gothic style pinnacle. the bottom plinth supports cusped arches on each of four sides which are framed by crocketted gables and corner pinnacles. Inside the arches is a stumpy column which supports the 2 sections above. The four larger statues in the middle section represent Charity, Munificence, Prudence and Piety. Four small figures representing a weaver, a collier and two factory girls are positioned on the outer corners of the lower section. These statuettes were stolen when the statue was dismantled in 1968 and re-assembled on its current location. the roundabout on which the monument stood on High Street/Manchester Road was replaced by traffic signal. In 2006 the Monument was cleaned and the four missing statuettes were made and replaced by local sculptor, Brian Hewitt.

Lord Francis and Lady Harriet Egerton
In 1837, Lord Francis Egerton came to live in Worsley with his wife,Harriet. In 1833 he had inherited the Worsley estates from his great uncle and godfather, the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater. The young couple found that 'Worsley was a god forsaken place. it's inhabitants much addicted to drink and rude sports, their morales deplorably low'.

In 1846 Lord Francis became the 1st Earl of Ellesmere and moved into the New Hall in Worsley. Their interest in the plight of local people, and their endeavours to improve working conditions, endeared them to the local population. Lady Harriet was involved in stopping women and girls working underground in the local mines. In 1841 she founded the Walkden Moor servants' school to provide alternative employment. This was attached to St.Paul's juvenile school and trained girls for domestic service. The school was located between Memorial Road and Hodge Road. On her death in 1866 she was interred with her late husband in St Mark's church, Worsley.

There is also a Rotary Internation plaque at the base of the memorial.

The Walkden Monument

This monument is a memorial to Harriet, the first Countess of Ellesmere
who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of working women and
children in Walkden.

It stood at the crossroads in the centre of Walkden from 1868 to 1968.

Restoration was achieved in 2006 by the efforts of the Rotary Club of Walkden and other local people and supported by Salford City Council.

Website with more information on either the memorial or the person(s) it is dedicated to: [Web Link] Location: The grounds of St. Paul's Church

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