War Memorial Obelisk, North-East Colonnade, South-West Colonnade, Pools Of Remembrance And Memorial Garden Walls, And Cast-Iron Lamp Standards

This is a First World War memorial assemblage dating from 1923, designed by Grayson & Barnish of Liverpool with A L McMillan. The carvings and inscriptions were designed and produced by Herbert Tyson Smith. The memorial is built of Portland stone in the Classical style, with a Second World War inscription and fountains added in 1956.

Overall Layout

The memorial consists of five interconnected elements arranged in a quinquepartite composition. A 67 foot 6 inch high obelisk forms the central element on an island site, positioned midway between two large colonnades—one to the north-east and one to the south-west—with memorial gardens flanking each colonnade. Modern granite paving connects the elements.

The Obelisk

The obelisk stands on a square pedestal and base. The front north-west face of the base bears a carved roundel containing a wreath and the inscription 'LOOK UPWARD STANDING MUTE. SALUTE' (the last two lines of Barry Pain's Armistice Day poem, 'The Army of the Dead'), with 'MCMXIV - MCMXVIII' carved below. The north-east face is plain. The rear south-east face features a carved roundel depicting the Southport arms and the motto 'SALUS POPULI' ('the welfare of the people').

A carved roundel added to the south-west face in 1956 (designed by Barnish and carved by Tyson Smith) reads 'TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THIS COUNTY BOROUGH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THE LIBERTY OF THE WORLD & THE SECURITY OF THIS REALM IN THE WORLD WAR 1939 - 1945 THEIR NAMES ARE RECORDED IN THE BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE WHICH LIES NEARBY IN THE KEEPING OF CHRIST CHURCH/THE FOUNTAINS ADDED TO THE MEMORIAL POOLS ARE DEDICATED TO THEIR HONOURED MEMORY'.

The Colonnades

The two colonnades are identically styled but carry different inscriptions and carvings. Modelled on Greek temples, they sit on slightly sloping ground with the lowest point at the north-west end. Both are single storey with flat roofs and symmetrical design.

Each colonnade features four pairs of fluted Doric columns to each side, forming a five-bay open colonnade that links enclosed square cenotaphs at each end. An entablature above contains inscriptions, with paired lion head reliefs above the inscriptions aligned with the columns below. Each cenotaph has an open window to the north-east and south-west sides, with a carved panel above depicting classical trophies of war.

Painted cast-iron lamp standards (cast by the Bromsgrove Guild) with fluted columns and acanthus leaf bases set on square stands with raised angled feet at each corner flank the outer bays of the open colonnade. These are attached to the front on square stone plinths. Four taller clustered lamp standards in similar style stand within the square surrounding the obelisk. Carved inscriptions and symbolic imagery appear on panels on the north-west and south-east end elevations of the colonnades.

Interior of the Colonnades

Inside, the colonnades have coffered ceilings and fluted Ionic columns set at each end flanking the cenotaph entrances. Each cenotaph contains a centrally placed carved pedestal altar and Meurial marble tablets on the walls. These tablets are inscribed with the names of First World War engagements, carved regimental badges, and the names of the dead with their rank—1,273 names in total—arranged by regiment and unit.

The largest marble tablet at the centre rear of each cenotaph is inscribed and features a decorative carved head incorporating a coat of arms. It is flanked by vertical panels with relief carvings of palms and wreaths. Tall plaques set into each wall flanking the cenotaph entrances (replacing original bronze flag brackets) commemorate those lost during the Second World War—549 names—added in 1992.

Represented branches of the armed forces include the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Merchant Navy, Women's Auxiliary Air Force, Polish Air Force, Royal Marines, Military Police, various Army Corps, and the Auxiliary Training Service (the women's branch of the army during the Second World War), along with the Home Guard. A plaque at the south-east end of the north-east colonnade also incorporates 21st-century inscriptions to those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan—two names.

The North-East Colonnade

This colonnade is rectangular in plan on a north-west to south-east axis, facing south-west towards the obelisk. The inscription on the entablature to the south-west side reads 'TELL.BRITAIN.YE.WHO.MARK.THIS.MONUMENT'. A tall carved panel on the north-west end elevation depicts the figure of 'Victory' represented by Britannia holding a statuette of Victory. The entablature above displays carved lettering reading 'MCMXIV'.

The inscription on the entablature to the north-east side of the colonnade, facing the Pool of Remembrance, reads 'THEIR.PORTION.IS.WITH.THE.ETERNAL' by the poet Laurence Binyon. A partly raised paved platform on the north-east side of the colonnade overlooks the memorial garden and Pool of Remembrance (mirrored on the south-west colonnade).

A tall carved panel on the south-east end elevation displays a carved relief of inverted torches and wreath with an inscription below reading 'THEY.DIED.THAT.WE.MIGHT.LIVE. WE.LIVE.ONLY.AS.WE.SAFEGUARD.THE.IDEALS.FOR.WHICH.THEY.DIED.FREEDOM.JUSTICE.MERCY. SO.LET.US.LIVE.THAT.WE.MAY.SHARE.WITH.THEM.THE.LIFE.ETERNAL' written by Frederick Riley.

Inside the north-west cenotaph, the carved cylindrical altar pedestal at the centre depicts Patroclus and Achilles along with further names of the dead. The inscription on the main decorative carved tablet on the north-west wall reads 'FOR.THE.SACRED.CAUSE.OF.JUSTICE' (from the tomb of the unknown warrior). Names of First World War engagements inscribed on the cenotaph walls above the name tablets include Le Cateau, Hindenburg Line, Vimy Ridge, Salonica, R. Selle and Cambrai.

Inside the south-east cenotaph, the carved cylindrical altar pedestal at the centre depicts Britannia and names of the dead. The inscription on the main decorative carved tablet on the south-east wall reads 'ON.THE.DECK.OF.FAME.THEY.DIED' (from Thomas Campbell's 'Battle of the Baltic'). Names of First World War engagements inscribed on the cenotaph walls above the name tablets include Mesopotamia, Zeebrugge, Jutland, Falkland, Palestine and Gallipoli.

The South-West Colonnade

This colonnade is rectangular in plan on a north-west to south-east axis, facing north-east. The inscription on the entablature to the north-east side continues from that on the north-east colonnade and reads 'FAITHFUL.TO.HER.WE.FELL.AND.REST.CONTENT' (an adaptation of the famous epitaph of Simonides on the Spartans who fell at Thermopylae). A crude inscription on a lamp standard base on the north-east side reads 'HASTWELL GRAYSON/LEONARD BARNISH/ALEC L MCMILLAN/ARCHITECTS/H.TYSON SMITH/SCULPTOR'.

A tall carved panel on the north-west end elevation depicts the figure of 'Mourning' represented by Britannia offering a tribute to the dead (represented by a military helmet). The entablature above displays carved lettering reading 'MCMXVIII'. The inscription on the entablature to the south-west side of the colonnade, facing the Pool of Remembrance, reads 'TO.FAMOUS.MEN.ALL.EARTH.IS.SEPULCHRE' (a translation of a sentence given by Thucydides in his History, Book II of the funeral oration spoken by Pericles about the Athenians who fell in the first year of the Peloponnesian War).

A tall carved panel on the south-east end elevation features a carved relief of arms and wreath (identical to that on the north-east colonnade) with an inscription below reading 'REMEMBER.THAT.THE.MEN.WHOSE.NAMES.LIVE.ON.THESE.WALLS.DIED.IN.YOUTH.OR.PRIME.THAT.FUTURE.GENERATIONS.MIGHT.INHERIT.A.HAPPIER.WORLD.AND.A.HUMAN.SOCIETY.MORE.RIGHTEOUS.AND.MORE.LOVING.THAN.THOSE.BRAVE.MEN.AND.THEIR.GENERATION.KNEW' (an adaptation of the inscription on the US Army memorial to American soldiers who fell in France).

Inside the north-west cenotaph, the carved cylindrical altar pedestal at the centre depicts Death and the Soldier, along with names of the dead. The inscription on the main decorative carved tablet on the north-west wall reads 'ALL.THAT.THEY.HAD.THEY.GAVE' (from Kipling's 'The King's Pilgrimage'). Names of First World War engagements inscribed on the cenotaph walls above the name tablets include Somme, Foret de Mormel, Arras, Mons, Marne and Aisne.

Inside the south-east cenotaph, the carved cylindrical altar pedestal at the centre depicts Victory and names of the dead. The inscription on the main decorative carved tablet on the south-east wall reads 'THEIR.NAME.LIVETH' (Ecclesiasticus xliv, 14). Names of First World War engagements inscribed on the cenotaph walls above the name tablets include Festubert, Neuve Chapelle, Messines Ridge, Passchendaele, Loos and Ypres 1.

Memorial Gardens and Pools of Remembrance

Set to each outer side of the colonnades is a lawned memorial garden enclosed to the north-west and south-east sides by low Portland Stone balustrading. Short cast-iron lamp standards in the same style as those at each colonnade surmount the south-east sides of the balustrading.

Each garden contains a long rectangular Pool of Remembrance with flat Portland stone copings to the edges and a low carved parapet wall at the colonnade end with shaped ends. A carved lion's head spout is flanked by carved lettering reading 'MCMXXXIX - MCMXXXXV'. Both pools also contain three small fountains introduced in 1956 to commemorate those lost during the Second World War.

Historical Context

Shortly after the signing of the Armistice on 14 November 1918, the then Mayor of Southport, Alderman Wood, proposed the construction of a memorial. In February 1919 it was decided to proceed with the project. An Executive Committee was established to consider several schemes, and it was finally decided to provide a monument in London Square, and also to establish an endowment fund providing educational scholarships for children who had lost their fathers during the war, and to raise funds for an extension to the local infirmary. Public subscription raised a total of £31,849, with approximately £14,000 allocated for the memorial.

Following a national competition judged by Sir Reginald Blomfield (Imperial War Graves Commission architect and designer of the Menin Gate at Ypres), the design of George Hastwell Grayson (previously a partner of the notable architect firm, Grayson & Ould) and Leonard Barnish (previously an assistant at Grayson & Ould) of Liverpool with A L McMillan was selected as the final design from 45 entries sent in by architects and sculptors. The winning design included an obelisk, two colonnades containing cenotaphs, two reflecting pools (Pools of Remembrance) set within small gardens, and cast-iron lamp standards. Grayson & Barnish's design illustrations were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1920 (with further drawings exhibited in 1923) and also reproduced in The Builder in December 1923.

The builders of the memorial were Messrs. W Moss & Sons Ltd. of Loughborough, Liverpool and London. The Pools of Remembrance were laid out by the Borough Surveyor, A E Jackson, and the Parks Superintendent, W Clark. The memorial's carving, decorative and figurative work was designed and produced by the renowned Liverpool sculptor, Herbert Tyson Smith.

Work on the memorial was delayed due to a shortage of skilled labour following the First World War and the lack of the required amount of Portland stone available from a single quarry. Work finally commenced in July 1922 and was unveiled on 18 November 1923 by the Earl of Derby.

An inscription commemorating those who died during the Second World War (designed by Barnish and produced by Tyson Smith) was later added to the obelisk and unveiled on 28 October 1956, along with commemorative fountains in the reflecting pools. Plaques recording the names of those lost during the Second World War were added to the cenotaphs in 1992, with further names subsequently added recording those lost in 21st-century warfare, including Iraq and Afghanistan.