A stately monument in Paddington Old Cemetery, on Willesden Lane, links Brent, the British Empire and nineteenth century China.

The monument reads: “In Memory of Thomas William Bowlby” who was “Buried At Pekin”. Pekin refers to the city of Peking, which has been known widely as Beijing since 1958.

Thomas Bowlby (pictured below) was a correspondent in China for The Times newspaper during the latter days of the Second Opium War. His death by torture, at the age of 42, led directly to a revenge attack by Anglo-French troops: the destruction and looting of the Emperor’s Old Summer Palace (picture of the ruins today, from chinadiscovery.com, right).

The effect of the complete destruction of the Old Summer Palace - by repute, a place of unrivalled architecture, landscaped gardens and art/antiquity collections - was long-lasting throughout China, and the ripple effect of the devastating damage can be felt to this day.

Read more about Thomas Bowlby and this dramatic period in history in this article for the BBC here.