Proposed Memorial Tower to Lord Frederick Cavendish: South Nab, Wharfdale

In the competition for a design for a monument to be erected at South Nab, Bradford, in memory of the late Lord Frederick Cavendish, that submitted by Messrs Worthington and Elgood of Manchester has been selected for erection. [British Architect 10 August 1883 Page 63]

MEMORIAL TOWER TO THE LATE LORD FREDERICK CAVENDISH – At a recent meeting of the Building Committee the preliminary drawings of the memorial tower prepared by Messrs Worthington and Elgood, architect, of Manchester, were inspected and they were instructed to furnish the necessary detailed drawings and specification and obtain tenders for its erection  on an eminence called the South Nab in Wharfdale, a prominent and commanding position on the moors belonging to the Duke of Devonshire, near to  Bolton Abbey. It is proposed to build the tower 25 feet square to a height of 94 fet to the top of the battlements, above which rise circular turrets at three angles, and on the fourth is a massive staircase from the ground level. At a height of about 15 feet from the ground is a broad terrace all round the tower, protected by a low parapet wall and approached by a double flight of easy steps, from which extensive views over a wide range of the adjoining district may be obtained. Over the entrance to the tower is a large panel containing the armorial bearings of Lord Frederick, and above this a deep band of stone, on which it is proposed to carve an inscription, stating the object of its erection by the electors of the division of the county represented by his Lordship in Parliament. The tower will be a bold and massive structure, somewhat similar in character to the keep-tower of our old castles, and it will be a very prominent object from the valley, as well as from the adjoining moors and country for many miles around. [Manchester Guardian 15 October 1883 page 3]

MEMORIAL TO THE LATE LORD FREDERICK CAVENDISH – TO MASONS & BUILDERS. Persons desirous to TENDER for the proposed MEMORIAL TOWER, which is to be built of stone on an eminence near Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire, are requested to send in their names forthwith to the Architects. WORTHINGTON & ELGOOD 110, King Street, Manchester [Manchester Guardian 17 November 1883 page 4]

MEMORIAL TO THE LATE LORD FREDERICK CAVENDISH - We publish this week the design selected for the memorial tower to the late Lord Frederick Cavendish, which it was intended to build on the South Nab in Wharfedale, near Bolton Abbey, on the moors above Barden Tower. It will be remembered that in the autumn of last year the committee adopted the design of Mr. Thomas Worthington, F.R.I.B.A., of Manchester. The working drawings and specification have since been prepared by Messrs. Worthington and Elgood, and estimates obtained from several contractors, but just as it was on the point of settlement a memorial was addressed to his Grace the Duke of Devonshire, in the form of a protest from certain artists and others against any monument being erected in Wharfedale, which they imagined might interfere with the contour of the lines of the landscape. We understand that no definite course of action has yet been determined on by the committee. [Builder 14 June 1884 page 871]

Scheme abandoned – see also 1885 for revised scheme

Reference        British Architect 10 August 1883 Page 63 Competitions
Reference        Manchester Guardian 15 October 1883 page 3
Reference        British Architect 12 October 1883 Page 186
Reference        Manchester Guardian 17 November 1883 page 4 - contracts
Reference        Manchester Guardian 24 November 1883 page 4 – contracts
Reference        Builder 14 June 1884 page 871 with illustration
Reference        British Architect 14 March 1884 Page 129 - Scheme abandoned
Elevation of Tower including ground plan published in The Architect, August 19th 1884.