Grace Darling Memorial

When Grace Darling died in 1842 at the age of 26, she was one of the most admired and well publicised of Victorian heroines, after helping her father to rescue 9 passengers from the wreck of the paddle steamer Forfarshire, on 7 September 1838. The memorial, designed by the well known architect, Anthony Salvin, stands in the churchyard of St Aidan's, Bamburgh. In 1893 the canopy was rebuilt after it collapsed in a gale.

A century later, Robin Kent Architecture & Conservation's conditon report found the iron posts which supported the canopy had rusted away and it was again on the point of collapse. The resulting conservation project led by the consultancy involved investigating and recording the structure, and completely rebuilding the memorial with new bronze and stainless steel reinforcements. A time capsule was included in the base. Laser and micro-abrasive cleaning of the stonework and specialist conservation of the sculpture, iron railings and bronze cresting were also carried out, to ensure that the many visitors can continue to enjoy the monument as a symbol of female heroism and the saving of life at sea.