Watford Peace Memorial 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 ...

now located outside the

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

, Hertfordshire, England. It comprises three bronze sculptures of nude males on a white

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 sto ...

base. The sculptor was Mary Pownall Bromet, a student of

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

: it is her only war memorial, and a rare example of a war memorial by a woman. It is also an unusual example of a war memorial that incorporates nude sculptures. The memorial was originally constructed outside the

Peace Memorial Hospital The Peace Hospice is a health facility caring for people with a life-limiting or terminal illness, which is funded by public donations, situated on Rickmansworth Road, Watford, Hertfordshire. It is a locally listed building. History The facility ...

in Watford, now the

Peace Hospice The Peace Hospice is a health facility caring for people with a life-limiting or terminal illness, which is funded by public donations, situated on Rickmansworth Road, Watford, Hertfordshire. It is a locally listed building. History The facility ...

, which was initially funded by public subscription to commemorate the dead of the First World War. The bronze sculptures are based on plaster figures which Bromet had donated to the hospital. The three figures represent, left: "To The Fallen", a seated man grieving; centre, "Victory", a man standing with right arm raised; and right, "To The Wounded", a seated man. The bronzes were cast at the

Morris Singer Morris Singer is a British art foundry, recognised as the oldest fine art foundry in the world. Its predecessor, Singer was established in 1848 in Frome, Somerset, by John Webb Singer, as the Frome Art Metal Works. The Singer Art Foundry was famou ...

foundry, and the memorial was unveiled by

George Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon George Herbert Hyde Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon, (7 June 1877 – 13 December 1955), styled Lord Hyde from 1877 to 1914, was a British Conservative politician from the Villiers family. He served as Governor-General of the Union of South Afri ...

on 1 July 1928. When the hospital closed, the memorial was moved in 1971 to a location on The Parade outside

Watford Town Hall Watford Town Hall is a municipal building in Rickmansworth Road, Watford, England. It is a Grade II listed building. History In the early 20th century Watford Urban District Council operated from municipal offices at Upton House in The Parade. ...

. It was restored in 2013 to remove copper staining and algae. The streaked weathered patina of the bronzes was retained, as the artist had intended them to age. It was granted a Grade II listing in 1983, and upgraded to Grade II* in 2017.

References

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External links

Watford War Memorial
roll-of-honour.com
Watford Peace Memorial
War Memorials Online

Lost Hospitals of London
Watford Peace Memorial
War Memorials Trust 1928 sculptures Monuments and memorials in Hertfordshire Outdoor sculptures in England Grade II* listed buildings in Hertfordshire

See also

References

External links