The Montagu Monuments

About

Members of the Montagu Family were buried, and often commemorated by contemporary monuments, in churches in two of the villages on the Boughton Estate. With Saxon origins and Norman remains, St Edmund's Church in the village of Warkton, to the south of Boughton House, is distinguished by its Chancel, containing an exceptional grouping of four world class monuments to the last three generations of the Montagu family of Boughton. It was designed and built, in 1751, by Louis Francois Roubiliac, the greatest sculptor active in England in the 18th century, to house his individual monuments to John, Duke of Montagu and his Duchess wife, Mary. The two other niches were subsequently filled by monuments to John and Mary's daughter and granddaughter. In 2014 - 2015 the Montagu Monuments Conservation Project undertook major works to all four of the principal monuments in St Edmund's church, Warkton, to secure and protect them from damage caused, possibly, by over zealous cleaning in the past and by environmental issues, including pollution and high humidity levels. These monuments have now been secured and restored to their former glory.

At a glance

• Typical visit: about 1 hour 30 minutes