Warrington Cenotaph

Warrington Cenotaph

This First World War memorial, completed in 1925 with subsequent additions for later conflicts, stands at the junction of Wilderspool Causeway and Knutsford Road, with the river Mersey forming the northern boundary of the site.

The memorial consists of a tall stone obelisk rising from a cruciform-shaped plinth on a single-step base. An inverted bronze sword of sacrifice is affixed to the front south-west face of the obelisk, positioned below a decorative band carved with fan detail. The obelisk has a moulded foot and a band carved with Greek key motif at the base. The plinth features a moulded cap and foot with a carved decorative band near the top bearing acanthus motifs at the corners. A fielded panel inset to the front south-west face carries the inscription in relief: TO OUR/ GLORIOUS/ DEAD. The entire structure sits upon a raised stone platform.

To the rear of the obelisk stands a curved stone screen wall with flat stone copings and square corner piers. The central section of this wall is taller, with the flanking sections stepping down in height. Bronze plaques affixed to the walls bear the names of the fallen and dedicatory inscriptions in raised lettering, each within a decorative frame and fielded panel. The central plaque reads: THIS TABLET ENSHRINES THE HONOURED NAMES OF WARRINGTON MEN/ WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE FOR THEIR COUNTRY 1914-1918, listing the 1,161 local servicemen who died in that conflict in columns beneath. Two smaller flanking bronze plaques each bear the inscription: TO THE HONOURED MEMORY OF THOSE OF WARRINGTON WHO/ LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945, listing 435 local servicemen with the right-hand plaque also carrying the 22 names of civilian casualties. The screen wall terminates at each end in square piers with inset panels on the exposed faces, topped with stepped stone caps and moulded cornices. The westernmost pier carries a bronze plaque dedicated to The Burma Star Association and those who fell in the Far East conflict during the Second World War, while the corresponding eastern pier has a similar plaque dedicated to those who died in other conflicts.

The obelisk sits within an area of hard landscaping on the raised platform, bounded by the screen wall to the north-east. A low stone retaining wall with flat stone coping and square end piers forms the south-west boundary to the platform. A central flight of steps leads up to the memorial, with two further flights of steps to either side against the screen wall. A flag pole is situated to the south-east corner within a curve of the retaining wall.