War Memorial Shelters

The War Memorial Shelters are a pair of commemorative structures built in 1919 to honor those who served in the First World War. They are timber framed with timber cladding and roof shingles, and are rectangular in shape, located 100 meters apart along the Broadwalk in Kensington Gardens.

The shelters feature a simple construction with four upright corner posts and cross braces that support a deeply overhanging roof. The ends of the shelters have matchboarding, which also extends across the middle to create backs for the seats that have since been removed. Above the matchboarding, there is a low timber screen that holds commemorative panels on either side. One shelter bears the inscription ‘IN MEMORY OF OUR SAILORS / WHO UPHELD “BRITAIN’S SURE SHIELD” / 1914-1918’, while the other reads ‘IN MEMORY OF OUR SOLDIERS / WHO FOUGHT IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1918’. Both shelters are inscribed ‘ERECTED BY / “THE SILVER THIMBLE FUND” / 1919’. The roofs are hipped and covered with timber shingles.