The Rockingham Mausoleum

The Rockingham Mausoleum was commissioned in 1783 by William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam when he inherited the estates of his uncle Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham who died without a direct male heir. The architect chosen for the Rockingham Mausoleum was John Carr of York, who had already built the stable block at Wentworth Woodhouse for Lord Rockingham himself. Carr was to do a great deal of work for Lord Fitzwilliam, notably alterations to the side pavilions and to the west elevation of Wentworth Woodhouse. He submitted a number of options for the monument, some of which were based on the concept of an obelisk. The three-storey design ultimately selected for the…

The mausoleum is built of ashlar sandstone. It is a 90 ft high three-stage monument, with obelisks at the four corners. Niches in the walls support busts of eight of the Marquis's closest friends, all luminaries of the Whig hierarchy; Admiral Viscount Keppel, Edmund Burke, Sir George Savile, Charles James Fox, The Duke of Portland, John Lee, Lord John Cavendish and Frederick Montagu. The original busts by Nollekens, Carrachi, John Bacon and William Hickey have now been replaced by casts. The large sarcophagus which can be seen from the exterior reposing on the first storey is vacant. Pevsner described it as "an outstandingly fine and noble structure". It is a Grade I listed building.