Southport War Memorial is in London Square, Lord Street,

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...

, England. It consists of an

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

flanked by two

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...

s in the form of

Greek temple Greek temples ( grc, ναός, naós, dwelling, semantically distinct from Latin , "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, s ...

s. Outside the colonnades are memorial gardens, each containing a Pool of Remembrance and fountains. The memorial was designed by the local architects Grayson and Barnish, and the carving was executed by Herbert Tyson Smith. It was unveiled in 1923 by the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

. Following the Second World War and subsequent conflicts further inscriptions and names have been added. The memorial is recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

as a designated 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 ...

History

As a result of a meeting on 14 February 1919 a War Memorial Committee was established to raise money by public subscription for a monument, to extend the hospital, and to provide grants for bereaved children. The monument was to be sited in London Square as part of a scheme to remodel the centre of the town. A total of £31,854 was raised, and a competition was launched for the design of the monument.

Reginald Blomfield Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield (20 December 1856 – 27 December 1942) was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period. Early life and career Blomfield was born at Bow rectory in Devon, w ...

was appointed as adviser and assessor of the competition. The first prize was given to the

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

partnership of Grayson and Barnish. The original designs did not specifically include any sculpture, and concern was expressed about this, leading to the appointment of Herbert Tyson Smith as sculptor. The initial tenders for building the memorial were considered to be too high, and after a second set of tenders W. Moss and Son were commissioned as main contractors. Following some delays in its construction, the memorial was unveiled on 18 November 1923 by the Earl of Derby. Following the Second World War, an additional inscription was designed by Barnish and executed by Tyson Smith; this was unveiled on 28 October 1956. At the same time fountains were installed in the Pools of Remembrance. In 1992 plaques were added containing the names of those lost in the Second World War, and later the names of those who have died as a result of later conflicts have been added.

Description

The memorial consists of an obelisk, two colonnades, and gardens. The colonnades and obelisk are constructed in Portland stone, the sculpture and lettered panels are in Meuriel

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

, and the Second World War inscription is in Hopton Wood stone. The obelisk stands in the centre of a traffic island, with the colonnades to the northeast and southwest, and the gardens beyond them.

Obelisk

The obelisk is high and stands on a square

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

and base. There are carved roundels on three faces of the obelisk. That on the northwest face contains a wreath and the inscription:

LOOK UPWARD STANDING MUTE. SALUTE

On the base below this are inscribed the dates "MCMXIV–MCMXVIII". The northeast face is plain. On the southeast face are the coat of arms of Southport and the inscription:

SALUS POPULI

The roundel on the southwest face was added in 1956. It was designed by Barnish, carved by Tyson Smith, and contains the following inscription:

TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THIS COUNTY BOROUGH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THE LIBERTY OF THE WORLD AND THE SECURITY OF THIS REALM IN THE WORLD WAR 1939–1945
THEIR NAMES ARE RECORDED IN THE BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE WHICH LIES NEARBY IN THE KEEPING OF CHRIST CHURCH
THE FOUNTAINS ADDED TO THE MEMORIAL POOLS ARE DEDICATED TO THEIR HONOURED MEMORY

Colonnades

The colonnades are similar to each other, but have different carvings, inscriptions and contents. They are in the style of Greek temples, symmetrical with a rectangular plan, are in a single storey, and have flat roofs. On each side there are four pairs of

fluted Fluting may refer to: *Fluting (architecture) * Fluting (firearms) * Fluting (geology) * Fluting (glacial) *Fluting (paper) Arts, entertainment, and media *Fluting on the Hump ''Fluting on the Hump'' is the first album by avant-garde band Kin ...

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

columns forming an open colonnade of five bays. At each end is an enclosed

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 ...

with an entablature containing inscriptions, and with two open windows above which are carved panels. There are also carved panels and inscriptions on the ends of the colonnades. At the entrances to the cenotaphs are fluted Ionic columns, and inside the ceilings are

coffer A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, also ...

ed. At the centre of each cenotaph is a pedestal altar, and on the walls are marble tablets containing the names of the engagements in the First World War, regimental badges, and the names of the dead and their rank arranged by regiment and unit. The names are of those who were lost in both World Wars and in later conflicts. Adjacent to the colonnades, and surrounding the obelisk, are

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

lamp stands that were cast by the

Bromsgrove Guild The Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts (1898–1966) was a company of modern artists and designers associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement, founded by Walter Gilbert. The guild worked in metal, wood, plaster, bronze, tapestry, glass and ...

. They have fluted columns, and their bases are decorated with acanthus leaves.

Northeast colonnade

The entablature on the side facing the obelisk is inscribed with:

TELL BRITAIN YE WHO MARK THIS MONUMENT

and on the side facing the garden is:

THEIR PORTION IS WITH THE ETERNAL

On the northwest face of the colonnade is a panel carved with a depiction of

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

holding a statuette of

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...

. Facing the garden is a platform with the following inscription:

THEY DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE
WE LIVE ONLY AS WE SAFEGUARD
THE IDEALS FOR WHICH THEY DIED
FREEDOM JUSTICE MERCY
SO LET US LIVE
THAT WE MAY SHARE WITH THEM THE LIFE ETERNAL

The altar in the northwest cenotaph is carved with representations of Patroclus and

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pele ...

. On the wall is a tablet inscribed with:

FOR THE SACRED CAUSE OF JUSTICE

Southwest colonnade

On the side of the entablature facing the obelisk is the inscription:

FAITHFUL TO HER WE FELL AND REST CONTENT

and on the side facing the garden is:

TO FAMOUS MEN ALL EARTH IS SEPULCHRE

The panel on the northwest side of the colonnade depicts Britannia offering a tribute to the dead and represents "Mourning". On the northeast side is a panel inscribed:

REMEMBER THAT THE MEN WHOSE NAMES LIVE ON THESE WALLS DIED IN YOUTH OR PRIME
THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS MIGHT INHERIT A HAPPIER WORLD
AND A HUMAN SOCIETY MORE RIGHTEOUS AND MORE LOVING THAN THOSE BRAVE MEN AND THEIR GENERATION KNEW

The altar in the southwest cenotaph is carved with a representation of "Death and the Soldier". There are two inscribed tablets. One reads:

ALL THAT THEY HAD THEY GAVE

and the other is inscribed with:

THEIR NAME LIVETH

Gardens

Outside each colonnade is a Memorial Garden. In the centre of each is a long rectangular Pool of Remembrance containing three fountains. The pool is surrounded by flat copings in Portland stone, and at the colonnade end of the pool is a low curved parapet with a spout in the form of a lion's head. The pool is flanked by lawns, outside which is

balustrading A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its co ...

in Portland stone.

Appraisal

The war memorial was designated as a listed building on 15 November 1972, and was graded at II* on 5 March 2010. Grade II* listing is granted to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". In the reasons given for listing at this grade it is stated that the memorial forms "a highly striking, powerful and reverential war memorial assemblage" and it provides "a sense of dignity and atmosphere within the town centre". Its classical styling, the colonnades in the form of Greek temples, and the carvings and inscriptions "draw comparison to battles in ancient Greece and slain warriors".

Notes and references

Notes Citations Sources * * * * {{coord, 53.6487, -3.0044, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title British military memorials and cemeteries Buildings and structures completed in 1923 Buildings and structures in Merseyside Grade II* listed buildings in Merseyside World War I memorials in England World War II memorials in England Grade II* listed monuments and memorials