Municipal Gardens is an urban park in the town of Aldershot in Hampshire. A short walk from the town centre it has been a public park since 1904. In its ornamental garden is the Aldershot Cenotaph which commemorates the town's dead from both World Wars. In 2019 the Cenotaph received Grade II listed status on the Register of Historic England. [1] [2]
The Municipal Gardens are located on tracts of land purchased between 1894 and 1895 by Aldershot Urban District Council [3] from the Church's wardens and overseers for public use. After much discussion about price a settlement was agreed and work on the nearby Municipal Buildings and Gardens commenced. [4] This ancient piece of land, referred to as the 'Parish Clerk's Land' in the Crondall Hundred, was laid out as the Municipal Gardens and opened to the public in 1904. [5] On 'Arbour Day' on 13 December 1905 32 trees including lime, chestnut, acacia and sycamore were planted by their donors who were prominent local people. [3] [6] [7]
With its main entrance through restored Edwardian gates on Grosvenor Road, the Municipal Gardens are situated within the Aldershot West Conservation Area at the edge of the town centre. Entrances to the gardens are also located in Arlington Terrace and Laburnum Road. The park is set out in a typical late Victorian style, with pathways including an avenue shaded by mature trees and an ornamental garden with a modern water fountain and a wisteria pergola. [8]
From the 1980s until completion in 2004 the park underwent a number of improvements including adapting the former tennis courts into a hard court, restoring the historic path network and railings and installing a new fountain. The improvements have involved the work of various artists and craftspeople in the fields of stone lettering, mosaics and metal sculpture. [8] Bisected from the main area of the gardens by a pathway can be found a children's playground.
In the ornamental garden at the eastern end of the park is the Cenotaph [9] which was dedicated by Theodore Woods, Bishop of Winchester, and unveiled by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester on 18 March 1925 in memory of those who gave their lives in World War I. [10] [11] The memorial was formally presented to the Mayor of Aldershot by Mr F B Bateman of the Aldershot War Memorial Committee. The guard of honour at the unveiling was formed by detachments from every branch of the Service then at Aldershot Command. Unusually, the memorial has no list of names of the fallen but just the simple inscription: “This memorial was erected in grateful memory to those who gave their lives for their country in the Great War 1914 - 1919”. The reason for this absence is explained in the programme for the unveiling ceremony, which states: “It is impossible to estimate the total and exact number of Aldershot men who joined the Colours. The military nature of our town must of necessity have rendered it a unique percentage.”
The Cenotaph, which is made of Cornish granite with a large base with three steps and plinth, was built at a cost of £1,155 and was originally flanked by two artillery pieces, one German and one Turkish dating from World War I. These were removed in 1940. [12] [13]
Sometime after World War II a further two flights of steps were added leading towards the Cenotaph, and which form a processional route. An additional inscription was added in 1950 in remembrance of those who died during World War II. [14] The modern fountain in front of the memorial was installed as part of improvements to the Municipal Gardens in 2000. [2]
As Aldershot is a garrison town with a large population of serving soldiers and veterans the Cenotaph plays a key role in various acts of remembrance throughout the year such as a commemoration of the Battle of the Somme in 2016 [15] and the annual Remembrance Day. [16] To commemorate the centenary of the ending of World War I a vigil was held at the Cenotaph throughout the night of 10 November 2018 before a remembrance service on 11 November 2018.
On 25 March 2018, on the 100th anniversary of the action in which he won his Victoria Cross during World War I, a memorial to Alfred Toye VC was unveiled beside the Cenotaph in the Municipal Gardens. [17]
In 2019 the Cenotaph received Grade II listed status on the Register of Historic England. In its appraisal Historic England recognised the structure's architectural interest as an 'elegantly proportioned cenotaph'. [1] [2]
Farnborough is a town in northeast Hampshire, England, part of the borough of Rushmoor and the Farnborough/Aldershot Built-up Area. Farnborough was founded in Saxon times and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is formed from Ferneberga which means "fern hill". According to the UK-wide 2011 Census, the population of Farnborough is 57,486.
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 cenotaphs honour individuals, many noted cenotaphs are instead dedicated to the memories of groups of individuals, such as the lost soldiers of a country or of an empire.
Aldershot is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, 31 mi (50 km) south-west of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Aldershot Urban Area - a loose conurbation, which also includes other towns such as Camberley, Farnborough and Farnham - has a population of 243,344; it the thirtieth-largest urban area in the UK.
Rushmoor is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England. It covers the towns of Farnborough, where the council is based, and Aldershot.
Aldershot Military Cemetery is a burial ground for military personnel, or ex-military personnel and their families, located in Aldershot Military Town, Hampshire.
Waverley Park is a public park located in the north end of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It is the second oldest municipal park in Ontario. The park forms the centre of the Waverley Park Heritage Conservation District, a collection of historical homes, churches, schools, and other buildings at the centre of Port Arthur.
Cambridge Military Hospital was a hospital completed in 1879 in Aldershot Garrison, Hampshire, England which served the various British Army camps there. During World War I, the Cambridge Hospital was the first base hospital to receive casualties directly from the Western Front. It was also the first place where plastic surgery was performed in the British Empire under Harold Gillies. It is now the residential estate Gun Hill Park.
Manchester Cenotaph is a war memorial in St Peter's Square, Manchester, England. Manchester was late in commissioning a First World War memorial compared with most British towns and cities; the city council did not convene a war memorial committee until 1922. The committee quickly achieved its target of raising £10,000 but finding a suitable location for the monument proved controversial. The preferred site in Albert Square would have required the removal and relocation of other statues and monuments, and was opposed by the city's artistic bodies. The next choice was Piccadilly Gardens, an area already identified for a possible art gallery and library; but in the interests of speedier delivery, the memorial committee settled on St Peter's Square. The area within the square had been had been purchased by the City Council in 1906, having been the site of the former St Peter's Church; whose sealed burial crypts remained with burials untouched and marked above ground by a memorial stone cross. Negotiations to remove these stalled so the construction of the cenotaph proceeded with the cross and burials in situ.
Southampton Cenotaph is a First World War memorial designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and located in Watts Park in the southern English city of Southampton. The memorial was the first of dozens by Lutyens to be built in permanent form and it influenced his later designs, including the Cenotaph in London. It is a tapering, multi-tiered pylon which culminates in a series of diminishing layers before terminating in a sarcophagus which features a recumbent figure of a soldier. In front is an altar-like Stone of Remembrance. The cenotaph contains multiple sculptural details including a prominent cross, the town's coat of arms, and two lions. The names of the dead are inscribed on three sides. Although similar in outline, later cenotaphs by Lutyens were much more austere and featured almost no sculpture. The design uses abstract, ecumenical features and lifts the recumbent soldier high above eye level, anonymising him.
Rochdale Cenotaph is a First World War memorial on the Esplanade in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in the north west of England. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it is one of seven memorials in England based on his Cenotaph in London and one of his more ambitious designs. The memorial was unveiled in 1922 and consists of a raised platform bearing Lutyens' characteristic Stone of Remembrance next to a 10-metre (33 ft) pylon topped by an effigy of a recumbent soldier. A set of painted stone flags surrounds the pylon.
The Midland Railway War Memorial is a First World War memorial in Derby in the East Midlands of England. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled in 1921. The memorial commemorates employees of the Midland Railway who died while serving in the armed forces during the First World War. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. Around a third of the company's workforce, some 23,000 men, left to fight, of whom 2,833 were killed.
Southport War Memorial is in London Square, Lord Street, Southport, Merseyside, England. It consists of an obelisk flanked by two colonnades in the form of Greek temples. 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. 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 as a designated Grade II* listed building.
The Park Crematorium is the crematorium for the town of Aldershot in Hampshire and surrounding districts, including North East Hampshire and parts of Surrey and Berkshire. It was designed by Frank Taylor, the Aldershot Borough Surveyor, and opened in July 1960. Today it is operated and maintained by Rushmoor Borough Council.
Spalding War Memorial is a First World War memorial in the gardens of Ayscoughfee Hall in Spalding, Lincolnshire, in eastern England. It was designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. The proposal for a memorial to Spalding's war dead originated in January 1918 with Barbara McLaren, whose husband and the town's Member of Parliament, Francis McLaren, was killed in a flying accident during the war. She engaged Lutyens via a family connection and the architect produced a plan for a grand memorial cloister surrounding a circular pond, in the middle of which would be a cross. The memorial was to be built in the formal gardens of Ayscoughfee Hall, which was owned by the local district council. When McLaren approached the council with her proposal, it generated considerable debate within the community and several alternative schemes were suggested. After a public meeting and a vote in 1919, a reduced-scale version of McLaren's proposal emerged as the preferred option, in conjunction with a clock on the town's corn exchange building.
Northampton War Memorial, officially the Town and County War Memorial, is a First World War memorial on Wood Hill in the centre of Northampton, the county town of Northamptonshire, in central England. Designed by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, it is a Stone of Remembrance flanked by twin obelisks draped with painted stone flags standing in a small garden in what was once part of the churchyard of All Saints' Church.
Norwich War Memorial is a First World War memorial in Norwich in Eastern England. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the last of his eight cenotaphs to be erected in England. Prior to Lutyens' involvement, several abandoned proposals had been made for commemorating Norwich's war dead, and by 1926 the newly elected lord mayor was determined to see the construction of a memorial before he left office. He established an appeal to raise funds for local hospitals in memory of the dead as well as a physical monument. He commissioned Lutyens, who designed an empty tomb (cenotaph) atop a low screen wall from which protrudes a Stone of Remembrance. Bronze flambeaux at either end can burn gas to emit a flame. Lutyens also designed a roll of honour, on which the names of the city's dead are listed, which was installed in Norwich Castle in 1931.
Manor Park is an urban park in the town of Aldershot in Hampshire. A short walk from the town centre, it has been a public park since 1919. The former manor house located in the park is Grade II listed. Facilities include a play area, tennis and basketball courts and an all-concrete skate park designed and built by Fearless Ramps and which opened in 2013. Today Manor Park is owned and maintained by Rushmoor Borough Council. Since 2018 Manor Park has been the venue for the annual Picnic & Pop Music Festival. The festival has been attended by 5000 local people each year.
The Princes Gardens is an urban park in the town of Aldershot in Hampshire. A short walk from the town centre on a site bordered by the town's High Street, Wellington Avenue and Princes Way and opposite the Princes Hall theatre, it has been a public park since 1930. Today the park is managed by Rushmoor Borough Council.
The City of Portsmouth War Memorial, also referred to as the Guildhall Square War Memorial, is a First World War memorial in Guildhall Square in the centre of Portsmouth, Hampshire, on the south coast of England. Portsmouth was and remains a port and home to a major naval dockyard. The dockyard and the armed forces provided much of the employment in the area in the early 20th century. As such, the town suffered significant losses in the First World War. Planning for a war memorial began shortly after the end of the conflict and a committee was established for the purpose. It selected a site adjacent to a railway embankment close to the Town Hall and chose the architects James Gibson and Walter Gordon, with sculptural elements by Charles Sargeant Jagger, from an open competition.
Aldershot Town Hall is a municipal building in Grosvenor Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Aldershot Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.