City of Gloucester War Memorial

The City of Gloucester War Memorial consists of a central monument and a Wall of Remembrance. The monument was erected in 1925, designed by A P Frith, and the wall and surrounding precinct were added in 1933 by Waller and Son. The memorial is constructed from Portland stone, with bronze plaques and sculpture.

The precinct is triangular, with three curved sides, and the cenotaph is positioned centrally within it. The southern side is bounded by the Wall of Remembrance, while the other two sides are defined by raised kerbs.

The central cenotaph, dating from 1925, stands on a three-stepped platform with tapered sides. The upper step is surmounted by a cast bronze figure of a sphinx, the emblem of the Gloucestershire Regiment, and commemorates those who died in the First World War. The sphinx and bronze plaques were made by H H Martyn of Cheltenham. The north side incorporates an inlaid, cast bronze laurel wreath. The east and west sides feature large bronze plaques with raised laurel borders, bearing inscriptions and names of the dead. One plaque reads: "TO THE MEMORY OF THE FALLEN OF THE 1/5TH AND 2/5TH BATTALIONS THE GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT 1914-1918."

Behind the cenotaph is a long, low, curving Wall of Remembrance, broken in the centre by iron gates with saltire rails and sphinx emblems, leading to clustered piers topped with the cipher GR and a crown. The wall exhibits a Moderne style, terminating at either end with a slightly tapering pier featuring a stepped cap. The central section of each side steps up in two stages and bears bronze lettering reading "1914-1918 TO THE MEN OF GLOUCESTER." Beneath this, bronze plaques commemorate those from across the city in all services who died in the First World War, including the arms of Gloucester. Later plaques on the eastern wall honour those who died in the Second World War, with commemorative dates. A plaque lists 17 women of the city who died during the bombing of Gloucester, inscribed "THESE WOMEN ALSO GAVE UP THEIR LIVES." A further plaque commemorates casualties from the Korean War.

The Wall of Remembrance is set within a precinct, with the cenotaph and wall elevated above street level and separated by kerb walls of Portland stone with stone coping. Three flights of steps provide access to the memorial, with curved steps leading to the corner of the plot, and a paved walkway with a continuous step curves along the inner face of the wall.