The Cenotaph

The Cenotaph is a Grade I listed memorial made of Portland stone, designed in a rectangular shape. At the top, it features a plain tomb chest with a moulded cover, upon which rests a large laurel wreath. This tomb chest is supported by a three-staged base, which in turn is set on a tall shaft that is slightly recessed towards the upper section. Below this is a two-stage base with cyma recta moulding at the foot of the shaft. The Cenotaph is positioned on three shallow steps on an island in the center of Whitehall, situated between Richmond House to the east and the Old Treasury to the west.

The design of the Cenotaph is minimalistic yet meticulously crafted. The dates of the World Wars are inscribed in Roman numerals on the base level above the shaft, with the dates for the First World War on either end and those for the Second World War on the sides. At the upper corners of the shaft, there are carved stone bosses adorned with laurels, suspended by stone fillets, created by the renowned sculptor Francis Derwent Wood RA. The only text on the memorial is the inscription "THE GLORIOUS DEAD" on the north and south sides of the shaft. Each side of the base displays three flags representing the Armed Services. The design incorporates precise entasis, or tapering, so that the vertical lines, if extended, would converge at a point 1,000 feet above, while the horizontal lines are subtly curved to meet at a radial point 900 feet below the pavement.