Friends of Milton Mausoleum

About

Milton Mausoleum stands close to the A1 Great North Road roundabout at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire.

Commissioned by the 4th Duke of Newcastle and designed by Sir Robert Smirke, architect of the British Museum, the Mausoleum is unusual in that it incorporates a parish church within its design.

Today, the building is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Although it is no longer used for regular worship, it remains consecrated.

The Friends of Milton Mausoleum host a series of open days and events each year, ensuring that the building remains cared for and that the sometimes tragic story of the 4th Duke and his family is shared with visitors.

Summer Openings 2025
The Mausoleum is open to the public from 4th May 2025 to 28th September 2025, every Sunday between 2pm and 4pm.

Milton Mausoleum and Its Friends
Milton Mausoleum, formally known as “The Newcastle Mausoleum and All Saints Church, Markham Clinton,” is a striking and historically significant building located on the hill between Milton and West Markham, still visible from the A1.

It was built by the 4th Duke of Newcastle in memory of his beloved wife, Georgiana, who died in 1822 following complications after childbirth. The Duke and Georgiana had married in 1807, a union regarded as a true love match. Together they established a grand family home at Clumber Park and had 14 children. In 1822, tragedy struck when their eldest daughter, Anna Maria, died in May. Later that year Georgiana gave birth to twins—a stillborn girl and a boy who survived for only 10 days. She died shortly afterwards from infection. Heartbroken, the Duke commissioned the Mausoleum both as a memorial and as a place of worship.

Sir Robert Smirke was entrusted with the design, while leading sculptor Richard Westmacott created a poignant and lifelike monument to the Duchess, her twins, and their daughter Anna Maria. The building served as the parish church of Markham Clinton from 1833 until 1949.

The Friends of the Mausoleum was established in 2015 with the goal of restoring the building’s place within the community. At the centre of their efforts are dedicated volunteer stewards who open the Mausoleum to the public every Sunday afternoon during the summer months. Since its formation, the group has organised concerts, recitals, tea parties, and talks, bringing the Mausoleum back into active use.

Although the Churches Conservation Trust has been responsible for the building since the 1970s, community events only began in earnest after 2015. Thanks to sustained fundraising and generous local support, electricity has now been installed, opening new possibilities for how the Mausoleum might serve the community in the future.