Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB17/07/011

Address :
Crozier Monument Church Square Banbridge Co Down BT32 4AP

Townland:
Ballyvally

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
17/05/1976 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Memorial

Former Use
Memorial

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
220/8

IG Ref:
J1271 4612

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Owner Category

Local Govt

Exterior Description And Setting

A monument dedicated to Francis Crozier, erected 1862 to the design of W.J.Barre and carvings by Joseph Robinson Kirk. Located in the centre of Church Square, north east of the town centre. Ashlar limestone chamfered square plan plinth with buttresses supporting limestone bear sculptures to central pier surmounted by an octagonal open cusped gothic arcade of granite columns with limestone moulded foliate capital and base; further surmounted by moulded limestone octagonal tapered cap embellished with foliated carving, supporting limestone statue. Depressed gothic arched niches to each face of the central pier; moulded archivolt of pilasters with hood moulding and moulded stops. North east and south west niches embrace engraved slate “TO PERPETUATE THE REMEMBERANCE OF TALENT ENTERPRISE AND WORTH, ALL COMBINED IN THE CHARACTER AND EVIDENCED IN THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN FRANCIS RAWDON MOIRA CROZIER R.N.F.R.S. THIS MONUMENT HAS BEEN ERECTED BY FRIENDS WHO AS THEY VALUED HIM IN LIFE REGRET HIM IN DEATH. HE WAS SECOND IN COMMAND WITH CAPTAIN SIR JOHN FRANKLIN R.N.F.R.S. AND CAPTAIN OF H.M. SHIP TERROR IN THE POLAR EXPEDITION WHICH LEFT ENGLAND ON 22ND MAY 1845.” “ ALTHOUGH THERE REMAINED NO SURVIVORS OF THE EXPEDITION, ENOUGH HAS BEEN ASCERTAINED TO SHOW THAT, TO IT, IS JUSTLY DUE THE HONOUR OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE LONG SOUGHT FOR NORTH WEST PASSAGE, AND THAT CAPTAIN CROZIER, HAVING SURVIVED HIS CHIEF, PERISHED WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE PARTY AFTER HE HAD BRAVELY LED THEM TO THE COAST OF AMERICA. HE WAS BORN AT BANBRIDGE, THE - SEPTEMBER 1796, BUT OF THE PLACE OR TIME OF HIS DEATH NO MAN KNOWETH UNTO THIS DAY.” South east and north west niches embrace a sandstone carving of a ships “Terror” and “Erebus” embedded in ice. Below the niches are embossed “CROZIER”. Setting Located north east of the town centre on a modern granite traffic island at the junction of Bridge Street, Castlewellan Street and Church Square. Adjacent to his birth place, Crozier House (HB17/07/009).

Architects

Barre, William J

Historical Information

The Crozier Monument, situated in Church Square, Banbridge was constructed in 1862 to designs by William Joseph Barre of Newry. Barre (1830-1867) had established an office in Newry by 1850 and, after winning the competition to design the Ulster Hall in 1859, decided to move his business to Belfast; however he died of an illness in 1867 after a short but successful career. In 1861, during Barre’s Belfast period, he won the competition to create a memorial to Captain Francis R. M. Crozier. Barre’s winning entry was an octagonal column which was designed to support a number of statues by Dublin-based sculptor Joseph Robinson Kirk (1821-1894). The builder contracted to carry out construction of the monument was ‘Graham of Belfast’ who submitted a tender of £274; construction of the monument was completed in April of 1862 (The Builder, Vol. 20, 8 Feb 1862; Dublin Builder, Vol. 3, 15 Nov 1861; Vol. 4, Jan, Feb, Apr, Jul 1862; DIA). The memorial was commissioned to commemorate the life of Captain Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier who was born in Banbridge in 1796. Crozier joined the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars at the young age of 14 and quickly rose through the ranks. In 1821 Crozier (then a lieutenant) sailed with Captain William Edward Parry during the latter’s attempt to discover the North-West Passage. This expedition failed in its aim, however Crozier accompanied Parry on a further two expeditions to the Arctic, in 1824 and 1827. Promoted to the rank of Commander in 1837, Crozier commanded the HMS Terrier during Captain James Clark Ross’s expedition to the Antarctic. In 1841 Crozier rose to the rank of Captain and was appointed second-in-command during Captain John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition to chart the last unnavigated section the North-West Passage which embarked in 1845. The expedition was doomed when Franklin and Crozier’s ships became trapped in pack ice between September 1846 and April 1848; during this time Captain Franklin died and Crozier took command of the floundering expedition. Crozier took the decision to abandon the trapped ships and escape south by sled, however both he and his men succumbed to illness and the elements, never returning. The abandoned ships were not discovered until the 1850s when the fate of the crew also became known. The west point of King William’s island, where the crew wintered whilst trapped between 1846 and 1848, was renamed ‘Cape Crozier’ in honour of the Banbridge Captain (Magennis; Newman, p. 54). The Crozier Monument in Banbridge was erected in Church Square, directly across from Crozier’s birthplace and family home, Avonmore House (now Crozier House – HB17/07/009). An inscription on the monument reads as follows: "To perpetuate the remembrance of talent, enterprise, and worth as combined in the character and evidenced in the life of Captain Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier R.N. F.R.S. This monument has been erected by friends, who, as they valued him in life, regret him in death. He was second in command with Captain Sir John Franklin R.N. F.R.S., and captain of H.M.S. Terror, in the polar expedition which left England on the 22 May 1845. Although there remained no survivors of the expedition, enough has been ascertained to show that, to it, is justly due the honour of the discovery of the long sought for North West Passage, and that Captain Crozier, having survived his chief, perished with the remainder of the party after he had bravely led them to the coast of America. He was born at Banbridge, September 1796, but of the place or time of his death no man knoweth unto this day." Brett records that the monument was designed in the Gothic of the 13th Century and was originally to incorporate a series of bas-relief carvings which would illustrate Crozier’s career as an Arctic Explorer, however although a tender of £274 was submitted by the contractor, the total cost of the monument came to £700 resulting in the abandonment of this feature. Despite going over budget the monument does include a number of sculptures and carvings that symbolise the doomed expedition. Crozier, the central figure of the monument is supported by buttresses, each topped with a grieving Polar Bear that salutes the Captain; other incorporated features include carvings of scallop-shells, four anchors, an Arctic otter, and convolvulus (a flower genus symbolising the scientific character of Crozier’s expeditions). Further, two small panels located in the niches of the monument display images of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, the ships that made up the expedition, trapped in the pack ice (Brett, p. 5). The Crozier Monument was listed Category B+ in 1976. In 1969 Brett noted that the Polar Bear’s flanking Crozier’s statue were showing considerable signs of wear. References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/3/48-2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1859 2. PRONI OS/6/3/48/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1902 3. PRONI OS/6/3/48/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1919-20 4. The Builder (1861; 1862) 5. Dublin Builder (1861; 1862) 6. First Survey Record - HB17/07/011 (1976) Secondary Sources 1. Magennis, P., ‘Banbridge: An illustrated history and companion’ Donaghadee: Cottage Publications, 1996. 2. Newman, K., ‘Dictionary of Ulster Biography’ Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects Website - www.dia.ie

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

V. Authorship X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A memorial dedicated to Francis Crozier, erected 1862 to the design of W.J.Barre and carvings by Joseph Robinson Kirk. Commemorating Crozier, who was a significant figure in the field of polar exploration, having been part of both Ross's and Franklin's expeditions to the North Pole. Much of the historic fabric has remained intact although elements are losing detail through weathering. Located adjacent to his birth place Crozier House (HB17/07/009), the memorial is of good quality and historic significance.

General Comments

Date of Survey

30 November 2011