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Preston Mont, Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds, Yorkshire
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Preston Mont, Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds, Yorkshire
Preston Mont (Ethel Preston Monument - 1861-1911), Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds, Yorkshire. Walter Preston was a manufacturing chemist. He married Ethel West in 1882. They had no children. When she died aged 50 in 1911, he erected this elaborate monument to her. It is said that Ethel is standing waiting at the open door to be reunited with her husband and that the door would finally be closed when he joined her. However, Walter Preston married his 22-year-old house keeper Emily Florence Richardson just a year after Ethels demise. The monument caused quite a stir when it was erected. Extra trams were laid on for the thousands of visitors who flocked to see it and a police presence was needed to keep order among the queues. Postcards were also on sale -perhaps this was one of them?? Date: 1911
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Media ID 18074477
© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection
Attraction Cemetery Elaborate Ethel Feb18 Graveyard Leeds Marble Marker Mont Preston Visitor Waiting Lawnswood
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This striking photograph captures the awe-inspiring Ethel Preston Monument, located in Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds, Yorkshire. The monument, dedicated to Ethel Preston (née West), was erected by her husband, Walter Preston, a manufacturing chemist, following her untimely death at the age of 50 in 1911. The elaborate marble statue portrays Ethel standing gracefully at an open door, waiting to be reunited with her husband in the afterlife. It is a popular belief that the door would only be closed when Walter joined her. Walter's decision to construct such an extravagant monument caused quite a stir in Leeds during the early 1910s. Thousands of visitors flocked to the cemetery to witness the spectacle, leading to the need for extra trams and a police presence to maintain order among the queues. Postcards, like this one, were also sold in large quantities as souvenirs. Despite the public fascination, Walter's actions raised eyebrows, as he had married his 22-year-old housekeeper, Emily Florence Richardson, just a year after Ethel's passing. The monument, which remains a famous attraction in Lawnswood Cemetery, stands as a testament to Walter's devotion to his late wife and the enduring allure of the Victorian era's grandiose memorials.
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