Devon County War Memorial
Devon County War Memorial | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Sir Edwin Lutyens | |
THE COUNTY OF DEVON TO HER GLORIOUS DEAD / 1914–1919 / TE DEUM LAUDAMUS / 1939–1945 | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | Devon County War Memorial and Processional Way |
Designated | 16 April 2009 |
Reference no. | 1393228 |
The Devon County War Memorial is a
The memorial takes the form of a simple cross. Hewn from a single block of granite quarried from Haytor on Dartmoor, it stands just to the west of the cathedral, in alignment with the altar. The cross stands on a granite plinth, which itself sits on three steps. It was unveiled by the Prince of Wales on 16 May 1921. After archaeological excavations took place in the 1970s, the area was remodelled to create a processional way between the memorial and the cathedral. The memorial is a grade II* listed building, part of a "national collection" of Lutyens' war memorials. Since 2015, all of Lutyens' memorials in England have been protected by listed building status.
Background
During the aftermath of the
The Devon County memorial is one of fifteen War Crosses designed by Lutyens to a similar specification between 1920 and 1925. Most of Lutyens' War Crosses were commissioned for small villages, but the Devon County memorial is one of two commissioned as a civic memorial in a city—the other being the York City War Memorial.[1][2][3][4]
Commissioning
The first proposal to commemorate Devon's war dead came from the Dean of Exeter in December 1918, a month after the signing of the armistice. The Dean suggested that a
The committee was reliant on public donations and realised that it was unlikely to raise a large sum of money as communities across Devon would be focusing on their own commemorations and commissioning individual war memorials. Despite this, the committee was determined to erect some sort of memorial to the county's war dead, and as a compromise sought a simple but elegant monument.
The memorial is one of two major war memorials in Exeter, the other being the
History and design
The project proceeded simply once the design was agreed. The memorial was built on the Cathedral Green, just to the west of the cathedral itself, in alignment with the altar—according to historian Hazel Harvey, "it faces east, standing on a hypothetical line drawn from the high altar through the nave of the cathedral".[2] It lies to the northwest of a metal cross, the steeple finial from the church of St Mary Major, Exeter, marking the former location of that building which was demolished in 1971.[12]
The memorial takes the form of a 30-foot (9.1-metre) granite cross, quarried from
The memorial was unveiled on Whit Monday, 16 May 1921, by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), with Lutyens in attendance.[1][2][15] At the unveiling ceremony, Lord Fortescue gave a speech in which he estimated that 11,600 men and women from Devon had been killed while serving in the war. He later stated that some 63,700 (8,000 regulars, 36,700 volunteers, and 19,000 conscripts) had served in the armed forces.[8] The names of the fallen were recorded on a roll of honour, of which three copies were made: one for Exeter Cathedral, one to be held by the county council, and one which the Prince of Wales placed in a hollow in the base of the war memorial. The prince's visit generated considerable excitement in the area. Thousands of people lined the street to greet his motorcade and shops on the High Street hung out banners with welcoming messages. After the unveiling, Edward spent ten days touring the local area.[16]
Archaeological excavations in the western part of the Cathedral Green in 1971 uncovered the remains of several Roman buildings including baths. The ruins were re-buried due to a lack of funds for preservation work,
On 16 April 2009, the memorial—including the processional way—was designated a grade II* listed building for its special architectural or historic interest, a status which provides legal protection from unauthorised demolition or modification.[1] In November 2015, as part of commemorations for the centenary of the First World War, Lutyens' war memorials were recognised as a "national collection". All 44 of his free-standing memorials in England were listed or had their listing status reviewed and their National Heritage List for England list entries updated and expanded.[24]
See also
References
Bibliography
- Bidwell, Paul (1979). The Legionary Bath-house and Basilica and Forum at Exeter. Exeter: Exeter City Council and The University of Exeter. pp. vii, 22–24. ISBN 0859890945.
- ISBN 9780300095968.
- Gray, Todd (2010). Lest Devon Forgets. Exeter: The Mint Press. ISBN 9781903356562.
- Harvey, Hazel (2011). The Story of Exeter. Andover: Phillimore. ISBN 9781860776786.
- Meller, Hugh (1989). Exeter Architecture. Chichester: Phillimore. ISBN 9780850336931.
- Parker, David (2014). Exeter: Remembering 1914–18. Stroud, Gloucestershire: ISBN 9780750960267.
- Skelton, Tim; Gliddon, Gerald (2008). Lutyens and the Great War. London: ISBN 9780711228788.
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Historic England. "Devon County War Memorial and Processional Way (1393228)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Harvey, p. 171.
- ^ Skelton, p. 112.
- ^ Gray, p. 109.
- ^ Gray, pp. 103–105.
- ^ a b Parker, p. 125.
- ^ Gray, p. 105.
- ^ a b Parker, p. 127.
- ^ Parker, pp. 128–129.
- ^ Gray, p. 106.
- ^ Gray, p. 108.
- ^ "St Mary Major – Cathedral Yard". Exeter Memories.
- ^ a b Meller, pp. 22–23.
- ^ "War Memorial: County of Devon". War Memorials Inventory. Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ Skelton, p. 75.
- ^ Harvey, pp. 171–172.
- ^ a b Bidwell, pp. vii, 22–24.
- ^ Jones, Claire (16 January 2015). "Excavation plans for Exeter's Roman Baths". BBC News. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ Historic England. "Part of the Roman town of Exeter, beneath Cathedral Green (1002632)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ Pevsner, p. 410.
- ^ "The Devon War Memorial". Exeter Memories.
- ^ Skelton, p. 168.
- ^ "Showcase result: Devon County". War Memorials Trust. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ "National Collection of Lutyens' War Memorials Listed". Historic England. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2016.