Croydon Cenotaph is a

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

, in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

, London, England. It is located outside the

Croydon Clocktower Croydon Clocktower is an arts and museum complex located on Katharine Street in Croydon, London. History The venue, which forms part of the 19th-century Town Hall, was opened as an arts and museum complex by Queen Elizabeth II Elizabe ...

arts complex (historically

Croydon Town Hall Croydon Town Hall is a council building in Katharine Street, Croydon which serves as headquarters for Croydon London Borough Council. It is a Grade II listed building. History Croydon's first town hall, which was located on the west side of th ...

), on Katharine Street in Croydon. The

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

, made from

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building ...

, was designed by

James Burford James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

ARIBA and was unveiled on 22 October 1921, to commemorate local victims of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. It is framed by two

bronze statue Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as well as bronze elements ...

s of seated figures by

Paul Raphael Montford __NOTOC__ Paul Raphael Montford (1 November 1868 – 15 January 1938) was an English-born sculptor, also active in Australia; winner of the gold medal of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1934.Jenny Zimmer,Montford, Paul Raphael (1868– ...

, cast at the M. Maneti foundry. One depicts a soldier of the

East Surrey Regiment The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, the 70th ...

, 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 " must presume that the news of her husband's perhaps fatal wounds has just reached her". The figure of the soldier was exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in 1921. The cenotaph's inscription reads: The dates "1939 ⋅ 1945" were added after the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The lines "AND IN MEMORY ... SINCE" were added in 1997. The cenotaph was granted

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

status on 19 November 1973, both in its own right and as part of a group of municipal buildings, legally protecting it from unauthorised modification or demolition. Its status was upgraded to

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

on 27 July 2017. A roll of honour is kept in the library.

References

{{Portal bar, Architecture, London, Visual arts, World War I, World War II Cenotaphs in the United Kingdom Paul Raphael Montford East Surrey Regiment soldiers World War I memorials in England World War II memorials in England Military memorials in London Bronze sculptures in the United Kingdom Grade II* listed monuments and memorials Buildings and structures completed in 1921 British military memorials and cemeteries Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Croydon

See also

References