Croydon Cenotaph is a war memorial, in Croydon, London, England. It is located outside the Croydon Clocktower arts complex (historically Croydon Town Hall), on Katharine Street in Croydon.[1][2]
The cenotaph, made from Portland stone, was designed by James Burford ARIBA and was unveiled on 22 October 1921,[2] to commemorate local victims of the First World War.
It is framed by two bronze statues of seated figures by Paul Raphael Montford, cast at the M. Maneti foundry.[2] One depicts a soldier of the East Surrey Regiment, dressing his own wounded arm; the other a woman holding a child in her left arm and a letter in her outstretched right hand: her distress is evident, and "[w]e must presume that the news of her husband's perhaps fatal wounds has just reached her".[1][3][4] The figure of the soldier was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1921.[3]
The cenotaph's inscription reads:[2]
1914 ⋅ 1918
1939 ⋅ 1945
AND IN MEMORY OF THOSE
WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN
WHO DIED AND SUFFERED
WARS AND CONFLICTS SINCE
A TRIBUTE TO THE MEN
AND WOMEN OF CROYDON
The dates "1939 ⋅ 1945" were added after the end of the Second World War. The lines "AND IN MEMORY ... SINCE" were added in 1997.[2]
The cenotaph was granted Grade II listed status on 19 November 1973, both in its own right[2][3] and as part of a group of municipal buildings, legally protecting it from unauthorised modification or demolition.[2][5] Its status was upgraded to Grade II* on 27 July 2017.[3]
A roll of honour is kept in the library.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Croydon Cenotaph – War Memorials Online". Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g "War Memorial: Croydon Cenotaph (WMR-2098)". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "Croydon War Memorial (Grade II*) (1268438)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ Borg, Alan (1991). War Memorials: from antiquity to the present. London: Leo Cooper. p. 97. ISBN 9780850523638.
- ^ Historic England. "Municipal Buildings, comprising the clock tower, public library, and Corn Exchange, and including the area balustrade which incorporates a war memorial and a statue of Queen Victoria (Grade II) (1188798)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
