The Preston Cenotaph stands in Market Square, Preston,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, England, and is a monument to soldiers from Preston who perished in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and II. Unveiled on 13 June 1926, the memorial was designed by

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on the New Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and ...

with sculptural work by Henry Alfred Pegram.''Preston Cenotaph''
UK National Inventory of War Memorials. Retrieved 18 August 2012.

The monument

The monument's main feature is a figure of “Victory” whose arms are raised and who holds

laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a round wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen, or later from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cherry laurel (''Prunus laurocerasus''). It is a s ...

s in either hand. The figure stands within columns supporting a pediment and on either side of the “Victory” figure are representations of those who died said to be “pleading for acceptance of their sacrifice”. At the very top of the monument there is an empty coffin (hence “

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 ...

” or “empty tomb”) with cherubs and strands of foliage carved around it. There are flagpoles on either side of the monument. The memorial was unveiled on 13 June 1926 by Admiral of the Fleet Earl Jellicoe of Scapa. The main inscription reads: The names of those World War I servicemen honoured are contained in a Roll of Honour located in the

Harris Museum The Harris Museum is a Grade I-listed building in Preston, Lancashire, England. Founded by Edmund Harris in 1877, it is a local history and fine art museum. History In the 19th century, it became legal to raise money for libraries by local ...

.''The Roll of Honour''
Harris Museum. Retrieved 24 August 2012''Preston Roll of Honour World War I''
UKNIWM Additional listing. Retrieved 24 August 2012. This Roll of Honour is inscribed on marble tablets on the ground floor of the building. The names of some 2,000 Prestonians are thus recorded Details of seven people whose names were omitted from the original listings were discovered and a framed document recording their names was installed in 1998. No Roll of Honour was produced for those who lost their lives in the Second World War but the Cenotaph remembers the deceased of both World Wars.

2012 restoration

In 2012 the Cenotaph was restored. The work, at a cost of £835,600, was finished in the Autumn and included the carving of a new dedication to the people of the city who lost their lives in service since 1945. As part of Preston’s commemorations of the start of the

, it was re-dedicated in a service on 13 June, exactly 88 years since the original unveiling. On 23 November 2013 it became the focal point of a projection event designed by international artist Andy McKeown. Funded by Arts Council England, the work drew from the collections of the

and the

Lancashire Infantry Museum The Lancashire Infantry Museum, formerly known as the Queen's Lancashire Regiment Museum, is located at Fulwood Barracks in Preston, Lancashire, England. The museum claims to be "largest Regimental archive and the premier centre for military his ...

. Highlighting some of the stories and faces of the men who lost their lives in World War I, the work projected all the names on the roll of honour directly onto the Cenotaph.

Gallery

File:Preston Cenotaph 7.JPG, The main feature, "Victory" File:Preston Cenotaph with wreaths.jpg, Cenotaph with wreaths laid for Remembrance Day (panorama) File:Preston Cenotaph close-up.jpg, Close up of the main feature File:Preston Cenotaph coffin.JPG, The empty coffin on the top of Preston Cenotaph Image:Preston Centotaph 4.JPG, Figures on one side of the Cenotaph-The dead "pleading for acceptance of their sacrifice”. Image:Preston Cenotaph 5.JPG, Figures on another side of the Cenotaph- The dead "pleading for acceptance of their sacrifice”.

Notes

References

External links

Harris Museum
{{City of Preston buildings British military memorials and cemeteries Buildings and structures in Preston World War I memorials in England World War II memorials in England Cenotaphs in the United Kingdom Monuments and memorials in Lancashire Grade I listed buildings in Lancashire Grade I listed monuments and memorials