WISBECH: Work to start on memorial to one of Wisbech's greatest sons.
IT is a fitting tribute to one of Wisbech s most famous sons. But the town s soaring memorial to Thomas Clarkson needs some serious repairs to its canopy and parts of the high-level stonework. This week Fenland District Council will begin a �40,000 res
IT is a fitting tribute to one of Wisbech's most famous sons.
But the town's soaring memorial to Thomas Clarkson needs some serious repairs to its canopy and parts of the high-level stonework.
This week Fenland District Council will begin a �40,000 restoration project.
The repairs, which will take about four months to complete, are being carried out by Northampton-based Bennie Historic Conservation, who specialise in this kind of work.
The council obtained a �10,000 grant from English Heritage to help pay for the preliminary investigations, which revealed the need to repair or replace a significant amount of loose or crumbling stone.
Thomas Clarkson, born in Wisbech in 1760, was one of the leading lights in the 20-year campaign to abolish the slave trade in the British empire. The memorial, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, was officially unveiled in 1881.
