Conde de Bayona Mausoleum

The Conde de Bayona mausoleum belongs to Manuel Misa y Bertemati, a Spanish sherry producer born in 1815 in Bayona, Galicia. After a doctorate in law from Santiago de Compostela University, Manuel joined his brother in the Jerez sherry business. He later settled in London, becoming a highly successful businessman and philanthropist. His mausoleum dates to about 1904, and is in Gothic style, with a pitched fishscale tiled roof, elaborate ironwork finials, a pointed arched entrance with moulded jambs and a timber door with intersecting tracery. There are fine stained glass windows and a stone altar inside, painted ceiling, inscribed shields and a tiled floor.

By 2015, damage to the building had accelerated as the stained glass was stolen and broken. The interior was exposed to the elements, leaves were blown in, the painted surfaces were flaking and the floor tiles were smashed. The decorative iron railings that front the mausoleum had become badly corroded. Urgent repair works were needed to secure the building from further immediate damage. In 2018 Heritage of London Trust funded a project along with Historic England and Hammersmith & Fulham Council. This project saw the roof and exterior stonework repainted, repointed and repaired, the iron work restored, the stained glass repaired (using Heritage of London Trust archive photographs) and window grilles installed.