| Summary : The Martyr's Memorial was built in 1841-42 to commemorate Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley, the Anglican bishops who had been burnt at the stake in Broad Street during the reign of Mary Tudor. It stands next to the church of St Mary Magdalen, terminating the southern view from St Giles, as was designed by George Gilbert Scott. Following the competition instructions, he based his design on the late 13th century Eleanor Cross at Waltham, a well-known example of the Decorated style, deemed by contemporary pundits of ecclesiology to be the most perfect of the style of English medieval architecture. It is constructed from Permian dolomite and Bath stone and was repaired circa 1920 and cleaned and partly restored in 1949. Further restoration work was carried out in 2001-2 and the memorial is now lit up by spotlights. |