Preston Cenotaph
Encyclopedia
The Preston Cenotaph stands in Market Square of Preston, Lancashire, England.
The sculptural work was carried out by Henry Alfred Pegram and the monument was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The entire monument is 70 ft (21.3 m) tall and is in Portland stone. The base is 40 ft (12.2 m) wide. Its main feature is a figure of “Victory” whose arms are raised and hold laurel wreaths. 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” or “empty tomb”) with cherubs and strands of foliage carved around it. There are flagpoles on either side of the monument. It has been recorded that Sir Giles Gilbert Scott had described his design as conforming to the ‘Greek feeling’ of Market Square, dominated as it is by the Harris Museum
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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 honoured are contained in a Roll of Honour located in the nearby Harris Museum. This Roll of Honour is inscribed on marble tablets on the ground floor of the building. The names of some 1,956 Prestonians are thus recorded. The Harris Reference Library also holds the original submission forms for inclusion on this Roll of Honour. The families of the deceased had had to complete forms if they wanted their loved ones to be included on the Roll. These were then submitted to the council between 1916 and 1927 and the work was completed on the basis of these names in 1927. It has been calculated that over 400 names were omitted from the Roll of Honour because the required forms had not been submitted, this for a variety of reasons.
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.
The sculptural work was carried out by Henry Alfred Pegram and the monument was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The entire monument is 70 ft (21.3 m) tall and is in Portland stone. The base is 40 ft (12.2 m) wide. Its main feature is a figure of “Victory” whose arms are raised and hold laurel wreaths. 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” or “empty tomb”) with cherubs and strands of foliage carved around it. There are flagpoles on either side of the monument. It has been recorded that Sir Giles Gilbert Scott had described his design as conforming to the ‘Greek feeling’ of Market Square, dominated as it is by the Harris Museum
Harris Museum
The Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Preston Free Public Library is a Grade I listed museum building in Preston and has the largest gallery space in Lancashire, England.- History :...
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The memorial was unveiled on 13 June 1926 by Admiral of the Fleet Earl Jellicoe of Scapa.
The main inscription reads:-
- BE EVER MINDFUL OF THE MEN OF PRESTON
- WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WARS
- 1914-1918 1939-1945
- THIS LAND INVIOLATE YOUR MONUMENT
The names of those honoured are contained in a Roll of Honour located in the nearby Harris Museum. This Roll of Honour is inscribed on marble tablets on the ground floor of the building. The names of some 1,956 Prestonians are thus recorded. The Harris Reference Library also holds the original submission forms for inclusion on this Roll of Honour. The families of the deceased had had to complete forms if they wanted their loved ones to be included on the Roll. These were then submitted to the council between 1916 and 1927 and the work was completed on the basis of these names in 1927. It has been calculated that over 400 names were omitted from the Roll of Honour because the required forms had not been submitted, this for a variety of reasons.
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.
External links
- Henry Alfred Pegram on The National Archives website.