Liverpool Cenotaph stands on St George's Plateau, to the east of St George's Hall in Liverpool, England. It was erected as a memorial to those who had fallen in the First World War. The dates of the Second World War were subsequently added. 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 ...

consists of a rectangular block of stone on a stone platform, with bronze, low-relief sculptures on the sides depicting marching troops and mourners. It was designed by Lionel Budden, with carving by Herbert Tyson Smith. Initially designated as a Grade II

listed building 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 ...

, its status was raised to Grade I in 2013.

History

In 1926, a competition was held to create a memorial using public funds, with Charles Reilly, professor of architecture at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

, as assessor. There were 257 entrants; the winning, anonymised entry was by Reilly's assistant, Lionel Budden. The building contractors appointed were A. E. Bradley and Company, the sculptor was Herbert Tyson Smith, and his bronze sculptures were made at the foundry of the Morris-Singer Company. The cenotaph was unveiled at 11 am on 11 November 1930 by the

17th Earl of Derby Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, (4 April 1865 – 4 February 1948), styled Mr Edward Stanley until 1886, then The Hon Edward Stanley and then Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, d ...

. Following the end of the Second World War, the dates 1939 and 1945 were added. These were unveiled on

Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in Nov ...

, 10 November 1946, by William G. Gregson, Lord Mayor of Liverpool.

Description

The cenotaph consists of a rectangular block of Stancliffe stone, with bronze relief statues on the sides, standing on a platform of Yorkshire

Silex Silex is any of various forms of ground stone. In modern contexts the word refers to a finely ground, nearly pure form of silica or silicate. In the late 16th century, it meant powdered or ground up "flints" (i.e. stones, generally meaning the c ...

stone. The rectangular block is long and high, the length of the bronze panels is , and the platform is long and deep. It is orientated northeast–southwest, in parallel with St George's Hall. The bronze relief on the northwest face, opposite the hall, depicts a stream of marching troops in the uniforms of the various armed forces. Above the panel is an inscription reading AS UNKNOWN AND YET WELL KNOWN AS DYING AND BEHOLD WE LIVE, and below, the inscription reads OUT OF THE NORTH PARTS A GREAT COMPANY AND A MIGHTY ARMY. On the southeast face, facing

Lime Street station Liverpool Lime Street is a terminus railway station and the main station serving the city centre of Liverpool. Opened in August 1836, it is the oldest still-operating grand terminus mainline station in the world. A branch of the West Coast ...

, the panel depicts mourners laying flowers and wreaths on a Stone of Remembrance, with rows of graves in a military cemetery behind them. Above the panel the inscription reads TO THE MEN OF LIVERPOOL WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR with an added inscription below it reads AND ALL WHO HAVE FALLEN IN CONFLICT SINCE. Under the panel is an inscription reading AND THE VICTORY THAT DAY WAS TURNED INTO MOURNING UNTO ALL THE PEOPLE. On the shorter northeast and southwest faces are circular bronze shields with the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of Liverpool and

festoon A festoon (from French ''feston'', Italian ''festone'', from a Late Latin ''festo'', originally a festal garland, Latin ''festum'', feast) is a wreath or garland hanging from two points, and in architecture typically a carved ornament depict ...

s, and the dates of the two wars.

Appraisal

The cenotaph was designated as a Grade II listed building on 28 June 1952. On 8 November 2013, the designation was raised to Grade I. The reasons given for the designation include its design context with its "impressive location" adjacent to St George's Hall. Also noted is the architectural interest of the cenotaph, with its horizontal lines forming a foil to the vertical columns of the hall. Referring to its sculptural interest, the citation states that the "sculptural work is exceptional and is arguably Tyson Smith's finest and most powerful work". The design is considered to have contemporary significance in that rather than using "allegory and heroic idealisation", it employs "powerful and modern realist portrayals". The quality of its craftsmanship is praised, and it is also to have group value in its location near other listed buildings. In the ''

Pevsner Architectural Guides The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of Great Britain and Ireland. Begun in the 1940s by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the original Buildings of England series were published b ...

'', Sharples expresses the opinion that "it is one of the most remarkable war memorials in the country".

Notes and references

Notes Citations {{Reflist, 30em Grade I listed buildings in Liverpool World War I memorials in England World War II memorials in England Outdoor sculptures in England Monuments and memorials in Liverpool Buildings and structures completed in 1930 Bronze sculptures in the United Kingdom Cenotaphs in the United Kingdom Grade I listed monuments and memorials

History

Description

Appraisal

See also

Notes and references