Norwich War Memorial
Norwich War Memorial | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
First World War | |
Unveiled | 1927 |
Location | 52°37′43″N 1°17′32″E / 52.62858°N 1.29234°E Market Place, Norwich, Norfolk |
Designed by | Sir Edwin Lutyens |
OUR GLORIOUS DEAD / THEIR NAME LIVETH / FOR EVERMORE / REMEMBERING ALSO ALL OTHERS OF THIS CITY WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | War Memorial and War Memorial Garden Terrace |
Designated | 30 September 1983 |
Reference no. | 1051857 |
Norwich War Memorial (also known as Norwich City War Memorial or Norwich Cenotaph) is a
A local disabled veteran unveiled the memorial on 9 October 1927. It was moved from its original location to become the centrepiece of a memorial garden between the market and the City Hall in 1938. The structure on which the garden is built was found to be unstable in 2004 and the memorial was closed off pending repairs which began in 2008. The work was completed in 2011, during which time the memorial was restored, having fallen into disrepair while it was closed off, and rotated to face the city hall rather than the marketplace. It was rededicated on Armistice Day 2011 and is today a grade II* listed building. In 2015, it became part of a "national collection" of Lutyens' war memorials.
Background
The
In the aftermath of the war and its unprecedented casualties, thousands of war memorials were built across Britain. Among the most prominent designers of memorials was
Commissioning
Norwich was among the last of Lutyens' memorials to be built. Many towns and cities built memorials soon after the end of the First World War, but early attempts in Norwich proved abortive, each mired in controversy. A scheme to build an agricultural college to serve as a memorial reached the point of soliciting donations, but these had to be returned when the scheme was abandoned as being too ambitious and not appealing to all social classes. When Charles Bignold was elected
The monument was completed swiftly once the location was agreed; the total cost was £2,700 (1927), of which 10% was Lutyens' fee. The design and the proposed location continued to be a source of controversy in the local community. Some residents felt that the memorial would not be in keeping with the city's existing architecture, but Bignold felt sure that he had the backing of the ex-service community. He noted that the Guildhall was in a central location and as one of Norwich's most famous buildings was a significant attraction for visitors, and thus that siting the memorial there would display Norwich's pride in its contribution to the war. In response to criticisms of the design, he wrote that "the form of any war memorial depends entirely on the sum of money available for its construction. Knowing this sum, we consulted Sir Edwin Lutyens as to the best means of expending it. [...] We felt that all reasonable persons would be satisfied by the expert opinion of the man who gave London its Cenotaph".[6]
Design
The memorial is of
The roll of honour was not completed as quickly. After a series of budget reductions, it was delivered in June 1929 but was of poor quality, and in the meantime the trustees of the castle museum had decided that the castle was not an appropriate place for the roll to be kept. It had also exceeded the reduced budget of £500, though Lutyens waived his fee and offered to pay the difference. The trustees changed their minds after improvements were made to the quality, and the roll of honour was installed in the castle on 13 January 1931 without ceremony as a result of embarrassment over the delay.[13][14]
History
General
As part of civic redevelopment of the market area and surrounding buildings in 1938, the cenotaph was moved to a site on Market Place, between the new
Structural problems with the
Repair work commenced on the garden and undercroft in early 2008—the beams and columns supporting the terrace having become dangerously weak—and was scheduled to take three years to complete.[19] The council commissioned NPS Architectural Group to oversee restoration and work on the memorial itself started in September 2009;[20][11] the council initially hoped that the project would be complete by Armistice Day 2010.[21] During the repair work the memorial itself was rotated to face the city hall, in accordance with the wishes of local veterans to allow them easier access for parades, and underwent minor restoration work. Its place in the memorial garden was taken by a new bronze sculpture: Breath by Paul de Monchaux. The garden re-opened to the public in March 2011.[22][11] The memorial and garden was re-dedicated after three years on Armistice Day, 11 November 2011; the repair work had cost £2.6 million.[3][23]
The roll of honour suffered structural damage, and in 2016 was moved from the castle keep to the city hall. It was restored with the aid of grant funding from the War Memorials Trust and several local charities.[14]
Two commemorative stones were laid in front of the memorial in August 2017 in honour of two men from Norwich who received the Victoria Cross (the highest award for gallantry in the British armed forces) in the First World War—Corporal Sidney James Day and Major Wilfred Edwards, who both earned their medals in August 1917. A third stone was planned to be laid in 2018 for Lance Corporal Ernest Seaman, the third and final Norwich-born recipient of the Victoria Cross, a century after the action for which he was decorated.[24]
Norwich War Memorial was designated a Grade II listed building on 30 September 1983; it was upgraded to Grade II* in 2014. In November 2015, as part of commemorations for the centenary of the First World War, Historic England recognised it as part of a "national collection" of Lutyens' war memorials. At the same time, 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 were updated and expanded.[25]
See also
References
Citations
- ^ Smith, pp. 18–19.
- ^ Smith, p. 50.
- ^ a b c d e f g Historic England. "War Memorial and War Memorial Garden Terrace (1051857)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- ^ Skelton, pp. 70–71.
- ^ a b c d Boorman, p. 122.
- ^ Skelton, pp. 71–72.
- ^ Historic England. "Rochdale Cenotaph (1084274)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- ^ Borg, p. 75.
- ^ Skelton, p. 71.
- ^ Corke, p. 57.
- ^ a b c "Norwich War Memorial". Norwich City Council. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Skelton, pp. 73, 174.
- ^ Skelton, p. 73.
- ^ a b "Norwich Roll of Honour". Norwich City Council. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Skelton, pp. 72–73.
- ^ Smith, p. 137.
- ^ Pevsner, p. 313.
- ^ Skelton, p. 159.
- ^ "Memorial 'shut for three years'". BBC News. 6 February 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "Preview: New Norwich war memorial". BBC News. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "Norwich's war memorial gardens". BBC News. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ Grimmer, Dan (16 March 2011). "Norwich's Memorial Gardens to re-open today". Eastern Daily Press. Archant. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "War Memorial and Memorial Gardens". Norwich War Memorials Trust. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ Gilbert, Dominic (26 August 2017). "Hero sons of our city honoured 100 years after receiving Victoria Cross". Eastern Daily Press. Archant. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "National Collection of Lutyens' War Memorials Listed". Historic England. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
Bibliography
- ISBN 9780850523638.
- Boorman, Derek (1988). At the Going Down of the Sun: British First World War Memorials. York: Sessions of York. ISBN 9781850720416.
- Corke, Jim (2005). War Memorials in Britain. Oxford: ISBN 9780747806264.
- ISBN 9780300096071.
- Skelton, Tim; Gliddon, Gerald (2008). Lutyens and the Great War. London: ISBN 9780711228788.
- Smith, Steve (2014). Norfolk: Remembering 1914–18. Great War Britain. Stroud, Gloucestershire: ISBN 9780750959193.