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Above a square pedestal, lions heads spout over small bowls on each side, below gabled inscribed panels, on one of which is a medallion bust of the subject.

The 'Wellington Journal', of Saturday 30th October 1909, reported that the commission had been entrusted to 'Mr. T. G. Lavender of Dawley and Mr. S. Jones of Wellington', and that the portrait medallion had been fabricated by the Coalbrookdale Company and presented to the memorial committee by 'Mr. Nathaniel Sparks, a London artist'. This will have been Nathaniel Sparks (1880–1956), a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers & Engravers. The article does not state whether the medallion was actually designed by Sparks. One of the builders was Thomas George Lavender (1866–1941) of John Lavender & Son.

Title

Captain Webb Memorial

Date

1909

Medium

stone & bronze

Accession number

TF4_MJR_S057

Acquisition method

funded by public subscription

Work type

Monument

Owner

Great Dawley Town Council

Custodian

Great Dawley Town Council

Work status

extant

Listing status

Grade II (England and Wales)

Unveiling date

23rd October 1909

Listing date

08/04/83

Access

at all times

Inscription description

on the front face below the portrait in black painted incised letters: "NOTHING GREAT / IS EASY!"; and below that on the pedestal: THIS MEMORIAL WAS UNVEILED / ON 23RD OCTOBER 1909.; on the right face: CAPTAIN WEBB / WAS BORN IN A HOUSE / WHICH FORMERLY OCCUPIED / A SITE A FEW YARDS / FROM THIS MEMORIAL; and on the left face: CAPTAIN WEBB / WAS BORN IN DAWLEY / JANUARY 19TH 1848, / AND LOST HIS LIFE / IN AN ATTEMPT TO SWIM / NIAGARA RAPIDS / ON JULY 24TH 1883.; and on the back face: ERECTED / BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION / TO THE MEMORY OF / CAPTAIN MATTHEW WEBB, / WHO IN ADDITION TO / FEATS OF LIFE SAVING, / SWAM THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.

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