The Cenotaph

MATERIALS: Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: rectangular in plan. At the top is a plain tomb chest, with moulded cover, on which lies a large laurel wreath. It stands on a three-staged base, which in turn stands on a tall shaft, set back towards its upper section. Beneath is the two-stage base, with cyma recta moulding to the foot of the shaft. The Cenotaph stands on three shallow steps on an island in the centre of Whitehall, in front of Richmond House (to the east) and the Old Treasury (to the west).

The Cenotaph is sparsely enriched and very carefully executed. The dates for the World Wars are inscribed in Roman numerals on the base level above the shaft (those for the First War on either end, those for the Second on the sides). On either end, at the upper corners of the shaft, are carved stone bosses with laurels suspended by stone fillets: these were carved by the celebrated sculptor Francis Derwent Wood RA. The only words on the memorial are inscribed on the north and south sides of the shaft: THE GLORIOUS DEAD. Three flags, for each of the Armed Services, are installed on each side of the base. The entasis (or tapering) of the design is minutely calculated, so that the vertical lines would, if continued, converge on a point 1000ft in the air, while the horizontal lines are fractionally curved, and would share a radial point 900ft below the pavement.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 10 February 2017.