Cockerill in Spa

Traces of the Cockerill family in Spa

The Cockerill family's tomb in the Spa cemetery pales into insignificance compared to the monument that adorned the family grave for a century.

William Cockerill, father of John and Charles James Cockerill, had a mausoleum erected in 1814 to bury his grandchildren and his early-deceased son Alexander. It became a large temple whose pediment was supported by four columns. However, the monument disappeared in 1902 to allow the extension of rue Léopold in Spa.

The only thing that reminds us of the monument is the rue Cockerill, a one-way street where the mausoleum once stood.

Spa town hall

Why did the grave monument appear in Spa and not in Liège or Verviers, where the family once lived? After his retirement, William Cockerill moved with his wife to Spa, where they found shelter in an agreeable home.

After their death, John Cockerill equipped their former residence with a steam engine for carding in the 1830s, but today, the building is home to Spa's municipal services.

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Traces of the Cockerill family in Spa

Spa town hall

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