City of Portsmouth War Memorial

City of Portsmouth War Memorial

This First World War memorial was unveiled in 1921, designed by architects J S Gibson and W S A Gordon with sculpture by C S Jagger. The builder was Samuel Salter. The memorial was partially reconfigured in the 1970s.

The memorial is constructed of Portland stone ashlar with bronze plaques and sculpture. It takes the form of an exedra, a semi-circular screen enclosing a sunken area. Fixed to the inside of the screen are slightly curved bronze plaques bearing the names of around 4,500 of the dead. Those who served in the army are positioned to the north, and those who served in the navy to the south. A panel was reserved for the Royal Air Force, with the names of servicewomen placed centrally. The inscription 'THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE' appears in the architrave above the plaques.

Two round-arched openings with wrought-iron gates pierce the screen. The northern arch leads to a passage under the railway and into Victoria Park, while the southern arch leads to an area north-west of Guildhall Square.

At either end of the screen, rusticated niches with flanking piers terminate the structure. Within each niche sits a bronze-painted urn above a stone seat. Above, set within broken entablature, is a carved trophy of clustered weapons above a shield flanked by oak and laurel branches, surrounded by scrolled acanthus and topped by a crown.

At the centre, three stone steps surround a cenotaph pier. The pier is decorated with relief carvings of wartime scenes on land and at sea, including marching soldiers and a naval gun crew in action, topped by a Greek-key cornice. A gadrooned sarcophagus urn surmounts the pier. A plaque reads: 'THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF PORTSMOUTH IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF THOSE WHO IN THE GLORIOUS MORNING OF THEIR DAYS FOR ENGLAND'S SAKE LOST ALL BUT ENGLAND'S PRAISE. MAY LIGHT PERPETUAL SHINE UPON THEM.'

The front is partially enclosed by a stone balustrade completing the circle. Originally the balustrade extended eastwards, curving inwards. Part has been reused to create a screen between the memorial and the north-west part of Guildhall Square.

The eastern entrance is marked by stone pedestals, each holding a seated sculptural figure: to the south is a sailor with a Lewis gun, and to the north is a soldier with a Vickers gun. These sculptures were originally positioned further east, facing forwards and flanking the entrance in parallel. In their present position they are slightly angled, opening out the entrance.

A plaque on the north plinth records that the memorial was erected by public subscription, while a plinth on the south plinth commemorates its unveiling. A stone tablet placed on the north plinth in 2003 reads: 'TO HONOUR ALL THOSE WHO DIED / SERVING THEIR COUNTRY IN / TIMES OF PEACE OR CONFLICT / 'WE WILL REMEMBER''.