Exploring inside the Burton Mausoleum

In early April, I had the exciting opportunity to step inside, or rather climb down into, the Burton Mausoleum.

The interior has not been accessed for 15 years, and it was a privilege to be one of the first people to experience it. The purpose of this expedition inside was to allow a Structural Engineer to assess the condition of the building for our current conservation project.

The mausoleum originally had a functioning external door, through which Lady Isabel and the public could visit Sir Richard in his final resting place. The door and original stained-glass window were destroyed in 1951, and subsequently the mausoleum was sealed shut and the window later replaced with clear glass.

Habitats & Heritage have been awarded a grant of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to conserve and research the Burton Mausoleum. A key part of our project is reinstating the external door to align with the building’s original design. This means the public will be invited inside for the first time in 70 years. It will also give us the opportunity to effectively maintain the interior and collection.

It was Lady Isabel’s wish for the mausoleum to be open to anyone who wanted to pay their respect to her husband. She was reported to visit the mausoleum regularly for the rest of her life. A journalist who interviewed Lady Isabel in 1892 wrote, “it is her greatest consolation to sit and read and pray, in the little [mausoleum]”. When Lady Isabel showed the interviewer around the mausoleum she explained: “you see, there is none of the horror of death about it”.

“His tent is the only one in the world, and it is by far the most beautiful, most romantic, most undeathlike resting-place in the wide world” – Lady Isabel Burton in The Life of Captain Sir Richard F Burton (1893)

In order to step inside, we needed to go in through the window. This meant setting up a temporary scaffold, carefully removing the window pane, and lowering a ladder into the centre of the mausoleum.

Looking into the mausoleum from the external scaffolding

It was a particularly sunny April morning, and once my eyes had adjusted, I found myself in a surprisingly light and airy space. It was dusty and patches of paint have come away from the ceiling, but overall, the condition is promising. I only wish I had brought my dustpan and brush to tidy up the floor.

The Hamsa and camel bells hang from the ceiling of the mausoleum

It was exciting to see the detail of the objects which I have only seen in photographs or by looking through the window. The objects form a varied collection transported to Mortlake from across the world. Many items such as the lamps were brought to England from Sir Richard and Lady Isabel’s home in Trieste, which had been acquired throughout their lives abroad. The camel bells were purchased specifically for the mausoleum, likely from Syria, and the flowers and other personal tokens date from Sir Richard’s funeral.

I was joined by academics from Kingston University to complete an updated audit of the objects. We compared them against an older inventory and noted any major changes in condition. We catalogued 69 objects in total ranging from the large coffins, altar and paintings to the smaller lamps and candle holders. We also paid attention to more functional objects like the door stopper that protected Lady Isabel’s coffin from the swinging door and the original electrical system that rang the camel bells.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Helen Wickstead and  Dr Chris Horrocks cataloguing the collection of objects inside

A closer look at this electrical system shows a clear manufacturers name: Kemsley & Co., 76 Queen’s Road, Bayswater. I was able to find them in a historic post office directory from 1895 and noted that alongside electrics, they also specialised in sanitation, ventilation, hot water, and gas. A relatively early example of battery technology, the mausoleum’s system was triggered by the opening door which sent an electrical signal to four corner brackets that shook the camel bells in the ceiling.

“When Lady Burton had the bells festooned across the mausoleum, she formed the quaint idea of having an electrical apparatus installed, so that when the door was opened the bells were automatically rung” – The Observer, 20 March 1921

Kemsley & C0. Electrical Engineers, Bayswater

Lady Isabel paid close attention to detail when designing and furnishing her husband’s mausoleum. The tinkling camel bells together with the stained-glass window and multiple candle holders and lanterns, suggests that visiting the mausoleum was an atmospheric and sensory experience.

Camel bells were purchased from the Middle East to hang in the Burton Mausoleum

The mausoleum is full of colour. The cherubs on the ceilings, the paintings on the walls, and the red banner with gilt text create a vibrant space. A closer look at the lamps hanging from the ceiling show they would have shone brightly with gold metalwork and coloured glass.

We are excited to be moving ahead with our conservation project and look forward to inviting the public inside later this year. Find out more about Burton: Exploring Without Boundaries.

 

Here are some other object and interior highlights from our expedition inside that show the contrasting cultural influences on both the mausoleum and the lives of Sir Richard and Lady Isabel Burton.