Clarkson Memorial, listed building in Fenland

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What is recorded here

Wisbech raised the Clarkson Memorial in 1880–81 to honour local-born Thomas Clarkson and his central part in ending the British slave trade. Its tall covered statue is joined by carved images of fellow campaigners William Wilberforce and Granville Sharp and an enslaved man in chains.

Why it was made

The memorial was erected at Wisbech to remember Thomas Clarkson, who was born in the town and became one of the leading campaigners against the British Empire's trade in enslaved people.

People and events

Clarkson lived from 1760 to 1846. The carvings also recognise William Wilberforce and Granville Sharp, two other prominent people in the same long campaign.

How it worked

A high platform lifts Clarkson's statue beneath a stone canopy shaped like a spire. Relief carvings on three sides tell the campaign's human and political story, while the last side carries the dedication.

What remains

The complete memorial still rises about twenty metres in Wisbech, with its statue, platform, canopy, three carved scenes and written panel.

Why it mattered

The monument makes Clarkson's local connection visible while placing him beside other campaigners and, through the image of the chained man, the people whose freedom was at stake.