Help Restore the Tomb of John Flaxman RA: Carving History Back into Stone. Please help the Public Statues and Sculpture Association (a registered charity, known as the PSSA) rescue and restore the final resting place of John Flaxman RA (1755–1826), to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his death this December.

John Flaxman was one of Britain’s finest Neoclassical sculptors and designers. From his renowned designs for Josiah Wedgwood’s ceramics to his impressive monuments in Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral, Flaxman shaped the visual identity of an era.

Strongly influenced by the Italian Renaissance and 17th-century art, his highly successful career culminated in 1810 when he was appointed the first professor of sculpture at the Royal Academy. He greatly inspired his contemporaries, including legendary artists like J.M.W. Turner, William Blake, and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Yet, despite achieving international recognition, Flaxman died in debt. He was buried in a modest plot at St Pancras, rather than inside St Paul’s Cathedral as he had hoped.

Flaxman specialised in funerary monuments, creating beautiful, lasting memorials for individuals across the UK, Canada, India, and the Caribbean. Today, his own tomb stands all but forgotten within St Pancras Gardens, a public park in central London. The Portland stone slab has fallen into severe disrepair, and its historic lettering is weathering away, rapidly fading into obscurity.

Without your help, the inscription on Flaxman's tomb will be lost forever.

Our project to restore the monument has two critical preservation goals:

Conserve the Tomb Slabs: Clean, stabilise, and treat the stone to prevent further environmental erosion. Thanks to early support, we have already raised the funds required for this initial cleaning of both the Flaxman family slab and the adjacent Denman family slab.

Recut the Lettering: Hire a master specialist letter-cutter to meticulously restore the fading inscription on the Flaxman slab, ensuring his name and legacy remain legible for generations to come. This is where we desperately need your help.

The £25 Letter Challenge

We are asking supporters to consider a donation of £25, which covers the exact cost of re-carving one single letter on Flaxman’s tomb. There are 579 letters in total to restore.

Flaxman spent his life carving permanent memorials for Britain's greatest heroes. Now, it is our turn to protect his.

Please consider making a donation—no matter how small—to help us safeguard this vital piece of art history. If you cannot donate, you can still play a massive part in this project by sharing this page with art lovers, history enthusiasts, and your local community.

Thank you for helping us carve Flaxman’s legacy back into stone.

Where Your Donation Goes

Every penny raised by this campaign goes directly toward the physical conservation of the monument. This includes:

Specialist Conservator Fees: Securing heritage-approved stonemasons skilled in historic preservation.

Heritage Assessment & Permissions: Ensuring all work complies with strict historical preservation guidelines and protects the integrity of the Portland stone.

The Inscription to Be Re-Carved

Here is the text of the inscription your donations will help restore to its original glory:

HERE REST THE MORTAL REMAINS OF

ANN FLAXMAN

THE VIRTUOUS AND BELOVED WIFE OF

JOHN FLAXMAN, R.A., P.S.

WHOSE SOUL RETURNED TO THE

ALMIGHTY CEATOR AND BLESSED REDEEMER

ON THE 7th OF FEBRUARY

IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1820

AND THE 60TH YEAR OF HER AGE.

UNDER THE SAME STONE IS INTERRED

HER HUSBAND

JOHN FLAXMAN, R.A., P.S.

WHOSE MORTAL LIFE

WAS A CONSTANT PREPARATION

FOR A BLESSED IMMORTALITY

HIS ANGELIC SPIRIT RETURNED TO THE DIVINE GIVER

ON THE 7th of DECEMBER 1826.

IN THE 72nd YEAR OF HIS AGE

ALSO IN THE SAME VAULT

ARE DEPOSITED THE MORTAL REMAINS OF

MARY ANN FLAXMAN,

SISTER OF THE ABOVE JOHN FLAXMAN,

WHOSE GENTLE SPIRIT RETURNED TO THE DIVINE GIVER

ON THE 17th OF APRIL 1833, IN THE 65th YEAR OF HER AGE.

Help Restore the Tomb of John Flaxman R.A.: Carving History Back Into Stone

Please help the Public Statues and Sculpture Association (PSSA) rescue and restore the final resting place of John Flaxman R.A. (1755–1826), one of Britain’s finest Neoclassical sculptors and designers. From his renowned designs for Josiah Wedgwood’s ceramics to his grand monuments in Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral, Flaxman shaped the visual identity of an era.

Strongly influenced by the Italian Renaissance and 17th-century art, his highly successful career culminated in 1810 when he was appointed the first professor of sculpture at the Royal Academy. He greatly inspired his contemporaries, including legendary artists like J.M.W. Turner, William Blake, and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Yet, despite achieving international recognition, Flaxman died in debt. He was buried in a modest plot at St Pancras, rather than inside St Paul’s Cathedral as he had hoped.

Flaxman specialised in funerary monuments, creating beautiful, lasting memorials for individuals across the UK, Canada, India, and the Caribbean. Today, his own tomb stands all but forgotten within St Pancras Gardens, a public park in central London. The Portland stone slab has fallen into severe disrepair, and its historic lettering is weathering away, rapidly fading into obscurity.

Without your help, the inscription on Flaxman's tomb will be lost forever.

Our project to restore the monument has two critical preservation goals:

Conserve the Tomb Slabs: Clean, stabilise, and treat the stone to prevent further environmental erosion. Thanks to early support, we have already raised the funds required for this initial cleaning of both the Flaxman family slab and the adjacent Denman family slab.

Recut the Lettering: Hire a master specialist letter-cutter to meticulously restore the fading inscription on the Flaxman slab, ensuring his name and legacy remain legible for generations to come. This is where we desperately need your help.

The £25 Letter Challenge

We are asking supporters to consider a donation of £25, which covers the exact cost of re-carving one single letter on Flaxman’s tomb. There are 579 letters in total to restore.

Flaxman spent his life carving permanent memorials for Britain's greatest heroes. Now, it is our turn to protect his.

Please consider making a donation—no matter how small—to help us safeguard this vital piece of art history. If you cannot donate, you can still play a massive part in this project by sharing this page with art lovers, history enthusiasts, and your local community.

Thank you for helping us carve Flaxman’s legacy back into stone.

Where Your Donation Goes

Every penny raised by this campaign goes directly toward the physical conservation of the monument. This includes:

Specialist Conservator Fees: Securing heritage-approved stonemasons skilled in historic preservation.

Heritage Assessment & Permissions: Ensuring all work complies with strict historical preservation guidelines and protects the integrity of the Portland stone.

The Inscription to Be Re-Carved

Here is the text of the inscription your donations will help restore to its original glory:

HERE REST THE MORTAL REMAINS OF

ANN FLAXMAN

THE VIRTUOUS AND BELOVED WIFE OF

JOHN FLAXMAN, R.A., P.S.

WHOSE SOUL RETURNED TO THE

ALMIGHTY CEATOR AND BLESSED REDEEMER

ON THE 7th OF FEBRUARY

IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1820

AND THE 60TH YEAR OF HER AGE.

UNDER THE SAME STONE IS INTERRED

HER HUSBAND

JOHN FLAXMAN, R.A., P.S.

WHOSE MORTAL LIFE

WAS A CONSTANT PREPARATION

FOR A BLESSED IMMORTALITY

HIS ANGELIC SPIRIT RETURNED TO THE DIVINE GIVER

ON THE 7th of DECEMBER 1826.

IN THE 72nd YEAR OF HIS AGE

ALSO IN THE SAME VAULT

ARE DEPOSITED THE MORTAL REMAINS OF

MARY ANN FLAXMAN,

SISTER OF THE ABOVE JOHN FLAXMAN,

WHOSE GENTLE SPIRIT RETURNED TO THE DIVINE GIVER

ON THE 17th OF APRIL 1833, IN THE 65th YEAR OF HER AGE.