Lady Jerningham Memorial

Lady Jerningham of Longridge Hall (now Longridge Towers School), was a much loved philanthropist who died in 1902 at the age of 52. Her statue, sculpted in 1906 by O Pennacchini, and donated to the town by her husband, Sir Hubert Jerningham, is sited high above the River Tweed on Meg's Mount, one of the Elizabethan bastions of Berwick-upon-Tweed's famous walls. As well as commemorating Lady Jerningham, the statue is an important townscape feature and symbolises the link between Longridge Towers and the town of Berwick.

Our historic research found that the stature had featured in a 1975 TV broadcast of the programme 'Tomorrow's World', in which it was vacuum-injected with silicon resin to protect the marble from winter frosts and the practice of protecting it with tarpaulins and straw through the winter months was discontinued. Unsurprisingly, this use of an untried technological 'solution' proved an illusory hope and we found that its condition had deteriorated to the point where it required urgent attention, with cracking that threatened to disfigure the noble lady.

We selected a suitable specialist conservator and, following a period of fund raising, adminstered the repairs to arrest the decay. Other enhancement and access improvements have ensured that Lady Jerningham continues be enjoyed by a wide range of local people and continues to make a significant contribution to the townscape and views on the approaches to the town.