EH has announced that five London war memorials have been upgraded in their listing status, and is seeking nominations from the public for listing of memorials England wide.
English Heritage writes:
On the day that Helen Grant MP, Minister for the First World War Centenary opened a new exhibition at the Wellington Arch honouring First World War memorials, English Heritage and the DCMS also announced that the listed status of five major London war memorials have been upgraded.
- The Edith Cavell Memorial, St Martin’s Place, Westminster – upgraded from Grade II to Grade I
- Royal Artillery Memorial, Hyde Park Corner, Westminster – upgraded from Grade II* to Grade I
- Machine Gun Corps Memorial, Piccadilly, Westminster – upgraded from Grade II to Grade II*
- Statue of the Field Marshall Earl Haig, Whitehall, Westminster – upgraded from Grade II to Grade II*
- Belgian Monument to the British Nation, Victoria Embankment, Westminster – upgraded from Grade II to Grade II*
- The Cenotaph, Whitehall, Westminster – list entry enhanced (already one of the few Grade I listed memorials)
These upgrades and a careful clean of the Royal Artillery Memorial coincide with the exhibition ‘We Will Remember Them: London’s Great War Memorials’ which focuses on these six important London memorials which are cared for by English Heritage. They bring the number of Grade I listed war memorials in England to five. Others include: Liverpool Cenotaph and the Leicester Victory Arch.
It isn’t known exactly how many war memorials there are but the total runs to many thousands and so far fewer than 10% of free-standing war memorials are listed. English Heritage has pledged to list up to 500 war memorials per year from 2014-2018 and double the number on the National Heritage List for England over the next five years. We are working with War Memorials Trust to enlist volunteer help in achieving this. Members of the public can help by submitting nominations.
The exhibition ‘We Will Remember Them’, the upgrades to the six London war memorials English Heritage take care of and the project to list up to 500 war memorials each year are three of several major English Heritage First World War Centenary commemoration projects. Others are:
- Repair Grants-In partnership with the Wolfson Foundation, English Heritage has made money available for the repair and conservation of free-standing war memorials in England. Examples of memorials that have benefited from grants – ranging from £3,000- £30,000 are included in the exhibition. Check the condition of your local memorial and apply for a grant if it needs repair.
- Home Front Legacy- In partnership with the Council for British Archaeology, English Heritage has initiated a national hunt to record the colossal ‘footprint’ left by the First World War on the fabric, landscape and coastal waters of England. Join in and track down our Home Front heritage before many of these places are lost to history.
