Clarkson Memorial

The Clarkson Memorial stands in Wisbech on the South Brink of the River Nene. It marks the site of the old Customs House, built in 1801, which once replaced the Buttermarket. The memorial was raised in 1880–1881 to honour Thomas Clarkson, a leading figure in the campaign against the slave trade. A Grade II* listed building, it consists of a statue on a high platform beneath a spire-shaped canopy. Four carved panels decorate the structure, three showing abolitionists William Wilberforce and Granville Sharp and a manacled slave. The memorial is worth the journey because it commemorates a pivotal campaigner. Thomas Clarkson was born in Wisbech in 1760 and educated at the local grammar school before writing a prize-winning essay that turned him towards abolition. The Peckover family, local Quaker philanthropists, provided most of the £2,035 cost, with the rest raised by public subscription. Sir George Gilbert Scott designed the monument, with carvings by Farmer & Brindley of Westminster. The unveiling in 1881 was performed by Sir Henry Brand, Speaker of the House of Commons. Visitors find a tall stone structure topped by a spire, with relief panels on three sides. The fourth side bears an inscription to Clarkson’s memory. The memorial serves as the town’s Remembrance Day saluting point. Nearby stands the Wisbech & Fenland Museum, which holds Clarkson’s chest containing 18th-century African textiles and other items he used to argue for direct trade. The setting beside the river and the bridge improvements of the 19th century add to the scene.