War Memorial Portico At The Cottage Hospital

The war memorial portico stands at the entrance to the memorial wing of Market Harborough and District Hospital, built on Coventry Road. Constructed in the 1920s, it commemorates the service and sacrifice of individuals from the urban district of Market Harborough during the First World War.

The memorial is an octagonal stone structure with a moulded cornice, frieze, and architrave supported by Tuscan columns on three sides. A bronze plaque, attached to the frieze between the front columns, bears an inscription acknowledging the extension’s construction through public subscription and commemorating the services of local men during the Great War (1914-1918).

The remaining five sides of the memorial are recessed into the hospital building, with double doors at the rear providing access to the memorial wing. Above the doors is a marble tablet noting that the names inscribed on the marble panels record those from the urban district who served; those who died are indicated by a red cross. Four marble tablets, framed in stone, are located on the remaining sides, listing the names of 953 individuals who served, with the red crosses marking those who lost their lives.

The memorial's origins lie in a 1918 proposal for two war memorials in Market Harborough: a commemorative column or cross in the town square and a free library and reading room. While the former was dedicated in 1921, the library plans were replaced with a memorial extension to the existing Cottage Hospital, which had been built in 1909, and this wing was opened in 1923. The portico is valued as a poignant reminder of the war's impact on the local community and a dignified setting for the commemorative plaques.