KK-WTCH-0064

Record Date: 
29 July 2022
Graveyard: 
Whitechurch
Exact wording of epitaph: 

In this tomb, are laid the world remains of, Georgiana, the beloved wife of, John Lecky Phelps, and daughter of, Major Robert Hedges Maunsell, She was married in the, 16th day of September 1856, and died at Rome, in the 4th day of November in the same year, aged 21 years, this monument has been erected in her memory, by her mouning husband. Anno Domino 1857.

Memorial Type: 
Mausoleum
Grave location
County: 
Kilkenny
Latitude: 
52.374275
Longitude: 
-7.3772611111111
People commemorated: 
Name: 
Georgiana
Surname: 
Phelps
Date of death - day: 
4
Date of death - month: 
November
Date of death - year: 
1856
Notes: 

This mausoleum is listed in the NIAH (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage). The reference number is 12403814. It is described as:

Freestanding single-bay single-stage gable-fronted Gothic Revival mausoleum, dated 1857. Pitched (gable-fronted) limestone ashlar roof with moulded cut-limestone ridge having finial to apex, and moulded cut-limestone eaves having foliate stops. Limestone ashlar walls with grouped (three-part arrangement) quatrefoil panels in shared rectangular recess having carved cut-limestone surrounds, carved coat-of-arms to gable, carved cut-limestone date stone/plaque to gable in pierced trefoil recess having carved cut-limestone surround, and hood moulding over having decorative stops. Pointed-arch door opening with carved cut-limestone reveals, hood moulding over having foliate stops, and cast-iron double doors having decorative strap work panel. Set back from road in grounds shared with Whitechurch Church with wrought iron railings to perimeter having Fleur-de-Lys finials.

A picturesque small-scale mausoleum erected for Georgina Philips (1835?-56) by John Philips (n. d.) displaying very high quality stone masonry with particular emphasis on the finely-carved details identifying the design aesthetic of the composition. Exuding a robust Gothic Revival theme the mausoleum stands in contrast against the elegant Classical tone of the contemporary (1861) Burnett mausoleum (12403819/KK-38-19) nearby with the resulting ensemble enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the Whitechurch Church grounds