Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
ALBERT LEE MEMORIAL Photograph
Region ID | MR | |
Work ID | 410 | |
Manual Reference | MR/ROC28 | |
Title | ALBERT LEE MEMORIAL | |
Architect | Unknown | |
Date of design | ||
Year of unveiling | 1908 | |
Unveiling details | 11 April 1908 | |
Road | ||
Precise Location | Queen's Park | |
A to Z Ref | ||
OS Ref | ||
Postcode | ||
Work is | Extant | |
Listing Status | Not listed | |
Duty of Care | Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council | |
Commissioned by | public subscription | |
Notes | ||
Plain stone obelisk rising in three stages with inscription on central section. It is situated on sloping ground in the park. | ||
The deaths of Albert Lee and David Ashworth in June 1907 greatly affected the town of Heywood. The boys had been out playing when Ashworth trying to catch wood which was being carried downstream fell into the swollen River Roch. Lee jumped in to save him but both boys drowned. Lee's body was not found until a week after the tragedy. To mark this act of self-sacrifice it was decided to erect a memorial. A sum of £50 was collected. The memorial took the form of a stone obelisk - plans for a turret clock having been abandoned - which was erected close to the site of the tragedy. The mayor David Healey, in the absence of Edward Holden MP, unveiled the memorial. His remarks on the unselfish courage of Albert Lee, a non-swimmer, in trying to rescue his friend from the flooded river, were echoed by other speakers and the press of the day. A certificate from the Royal Humane Society was also presented to Lee's family. The monument was made be by Messrs S. and A. Taylor. The memorial was restored in 1951. In 1993 it was sandblasted, removing both graffiti and a coat of paint which had been applied to 'protect' the stone, and then sealed with a coat of silicone. Plans are current to restore the almost illegible inscription. The architect was H. C. Anderson | ||
Albert Lee | ||
circa | ||
raw year | 1908 | |
Condition | Poor | |
At risk | At Risk | |
Inscriptions | Inscription (originally in lead lettering) on central section: THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED / BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION / TO COMMEMORATE THE GALLANT / AND HEROIC CONDUCT OF / ALBERT LEE / OF 79, STARKY STREET, HEYWOOD, / AGED 15, / WHO LOST HIS LIFE IN ATTEMPTING / TO RESCUE HIS COMPANION, / DAVID ASHWORTH, / FROM DROWNING IN THE RIVER ROACH / OPPOSITE THIS SPOT ON / SATURDAY AFTERNOON THE / 15 JUNE 1907. / 'GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS; / THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS'/ JOHN XV. 13. Condition: poor; weathering of stone, inscription faint or worn away The deaths of Albert Lee and David Ashworth in June 1907 greatly affected the town of Heywood. The boys had been out playing when Ashworth trying to catch wood which was being carried downstream fell into the swollen River Roch. Lee jumped in to save him but both boys drowned. Lee's body was not found until a week after the tragedy. To mark this act of self-sacrifice it was decided to erect a memorial. A sum of £50 was collected. The memorial took the form of a stone obelisk - plans for a turret clock having been abandoned - which was erected close to the site of the tragedy. The mayor David Healey, in the absence of Edward Holden MP, unveiled the memorial. His remarks on the unselfish courage of Albert Lee, a non-swimmer, in trying to rescue his friend from the flooded river, were echoed by other speakers and the press of the day. A certificate from the Royal Humane Society was also presented to Lee's family. The monument was made be by Messrs S. and A. Taylor. The memorial was restored in 1951. In 1993 it was sandblasted, removing both graffiti and a coat of paint which had been applied to 'protect' the stone, before being sealed with a coat of silicone. Plans to restore the now almost illegible inscription have yet to be realised. | |
Signatures | none visible | |
Elements
Element Details
Part of work | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
obelisk | Halifax stone | 650 cm high approx 518 cm high approx x 137 cm square base |
Assessment of Condition
Surface Character
Detail | Comment |
|---|---|
Surface spalling, crumbling | |
Structural Condition
Structural Condition | Comment |
|---|---|
Cracks, splits, breaks, holes | |
Vandalism
Vandalism | Comment |
|---|---|
None | |
