WAR MEMORIAL

Overview

Location

Details

785/0/10139 STATION ROAD 24-APR-07 War Memorial SEVENOAKS ROAD War Memorial SPUR ROAD War Memorial HIGH STREET War Memorial

II War memorial, 1921, designed by Charles Heaton Comyn, with World War II commemorations added later.

MATERIALS: Portland stone with cast iron sculptures.

DESCRIPTION: Triangular column, approximately 5 metres high and 13.7 metres in diameter, which stands on a separate, shallow pentagonal base. The column measures about two metres at the base and tapers slightly to a small pointed peak at the top. At each corner are short, square columns about 1 metre high, which jut out from the main structure, surmounted by cast iron lion sculptures. Each side has the names of the fallen inscribed in the lower sections. The summit of the principal side, that faces into the roundabout (east), is engraved with the Horse Rampant (the Kent county symbol); the other sides have a simple cross.

The principal elevation has the dedication which reads: 'Pro Patria/ (Names)/ in memory of the/ men of Orpington/ who laid down their/ lives in the/ Great War 1914-1918'. A separate dedication following the second unveiling in 1999 reads: 'The memorials containing the names of the fallen of/ the Second World War and subsequent conflicts/ were unveiled on Sunday 1st August 1999 by/ the Lord Imbert, QPM, JP/ Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of Greater London'. On the side facing the high street (north) there is plaque: 'Orpington Urban District/ to the memory of those in the/ services and the residents of this/ district who died in the World War/ 1939-1945'.

HISTORY: The memorial was designed by Charles Heaton Comyn FRIBA of Orpington, built by Messrs Farmer and Brindley of Westminster Bridge Road, London, with three cast iron lions by Messrs Thomas Elsley & Co. of Great Titchfield Street, London. It was unveiled on Sunday 28 August 1921 to commemorate the residents of the Orpington District Council Area who had died in the First World War, and records the names of 111 local men. Following a campaign in 1997-98, the remembrance of other armed forces personnel who fell in the Second World War and proceeding conflicts resulted in a second unveiling with eight plaques on Sunday 2nd August 1999. These plaques are placed around the circular space on which the original memorial stands, however, despite their poignancy, they are not included in the listing.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: The Orpington War Memorial is a simple but statuesque design of Portland stone, triangular in shape with inscriptions on all sides, with the principal dedication facing the centre of the circle. Its importance to the local community is apparent due to its size and visible location in a busy thoroughfare. Dedications to those lost in later conflicts were added on a series of plaques set up within the circle in 1999, however, despite their poignancy, they are not included in the listing. The recommendation for listing is primarily for Comyn's 1921 war memorial.



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, 9 February 2017.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

502788

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 9 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/118829
War Memorials Register, accessed 9 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/3848

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.