Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890) was a renowned Victorian explorer and prolific author, he and his wife Isabel (neé Arundell) are buried in a large stone mausoleum built to look like the tent they had designed in Syria.

Burton was a remarkable traveler and explorer, linguist, poet, soldier, diplomat, prolific author and translator of major works of Arab literature including: The Kama Sutra, 1,001 Arabian Nights and The Perfumed Garden. After an early career serving in the Army in India (1842-1853) and later fighting in the Crimean War (1855-1856), he travelled to Mecca as well as to Africa and the Americas under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society. Between 1856-1860, he journeyed to the great lakes of central Africa in search of the source of the river Nile. Co-founder of the Anthropological Society of London in 1863 and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, he was appointed a KCMG (Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George) in 1886.

The tent is created from thick slabs of York Stone from the Forest of Dean, with surfaces finished to simulate the irregularities of the canvas of a tent, originally lime-washed to achieve an even closer match. The stone door at the front of the tent was originally hinged but is now sealed shut.

Within the tent the floor is paved in Carrara marble (Tuscany, Italy) with black marble inserts and the underside of the roof is painted to represent the heavens. At one end there is a marble altar and tabernacle, along with a number of the explorer’s possessions including dried flowers, lamps and camel bells.

The mausoleum, built in 1890, is a Grade II* listed building and it is of great importance both for its association with Burton and for its fusion of Christian and Muslim symbols, funerary art and artefacts. Despite its significance, by 2007 the mausoleum was in very poor condition and was listed on English Heritage’s Buildings at Risk Register.

Environment Trust, in collaboration with Friends of Burton, raised funds to restore both the interior and exterior of this magnificent building. Grants were provided by English Heritage, the Heritage of London Trust, and private donors to undertake restoration work which was completed in 2010.

Environment Trust has a 10 year responsibility to ensure that the tomb is well maintained.

For more information please visit our web site;
www.environmenttrust.org