Salisbury War Memorial and railings

Summary

First World War memorial by Messrs H H Martyn & Company Ltd, unveiled on 12 February 1922, with later inscriptions commemorating those who served during the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

The war memorial in the Market Place, Salisbury, designed by H H Martyn and Company and erected in 1922, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest: as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by this community in the First World War, it is of strong historic and cultural significance both at a local and a national level
Artistic interest: the bronze sculpture is a powerful and expressive piece of work.
Design quality: in contrast to the standard war memorial design, the Salisbury memorial is a striking and expressive work in a horizontal form, incorporating the carved figure of a lion and the symbols of war
Group value: it has strong group value with the adjacent Grade II* listed Guildhall with which it is aligned, and with other listed buildings in the Market Place. It adds considerably to the urban texture at the centre of the city

History

The great age of memorial building was in the aftermath of the First World War. Salisbury war memorial was unveiled by Lieutenant T E Adlam VC at a dedication ceremony on 12 February 1922, conducted by the Reverend W R F Addison VC, a World War One chaplain. The memorial was designed and constructed by Messrs H H Martyn & Company of Cheltenham, a company specialising in the design and production of sculptures and ecclesiastical furnishings, including the fittings for several Cunard ships and the oak South Africa war memorial, Eton Memorial Library, Eton (1908). In the aftermath of the First World War the firm also designed or contributed to the design of a number of war memorials such as those at Walsall, West Midlands; Victoria Park, Smethwick, West Midlands; Norton in Suffolk; and in Hartlepool.

The memorial in Salisbury stands in the Market Square, in front of (north) the Grade II* listed Guildhall with which it is aligned. Its location outside this important civic building is likely to have been a conscious decision when planning the war memorial.
Inscriptions honouring those who served during the Second World War were added later.

Details

MATERIALS: constructed of Portland stone, and embellished with bronze and marble.
PLAN: the memorial stands in a prominent location in front of the Guildhall (Grade II*) and has a curved plan
DESCRIPTION: it comprises a low, curved screen wall of Portland stone blocks surmounted by a bronze sculpture depicting a lion together with a helmet, sword, rifle, cannon and regimental colours with wreaths of victory. The curved north face of the memorial carries six bronze panels recording the names of 460 local men who lost their lives during the First World War. At the centre is a decorative arched pediment with dedicatory marble plaques and a carved relief of the city's coat of arms. The upper plaque is inscribed: ' IN HONOUR / AND REMEMBRANCE / OF THE CITIZENS OF / SALISBURY / WHO SERVED / WHO FOUGHT WHO DIED / FOR FREEDOM HOME / AND HUMANITY / 1914-1919. The lower panel was added after the Second World War and reads: 'FOR YOUR TOMORROW / WE GAVE OUR TODAY / WE HONOUR ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN THE SERVICE OF THE COUNTRY IN THE / SECOND WORLD WAR AND ALL CONFLICTS SINCE / WE WILL REMEMBER THEM'. At either end of the memorial wall are lanterns with bronze latticework standards.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: to the front (north) and sides of the memorial are ornate bronze railings with central gates to the front.


This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 16 December 2016.

Sources

Books and journals
Casson, H, The Best. H H Martyn And Co, (1985)

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 03/06/2011 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2112
War Memorials Online, accessed 16/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/120454

End of official list entry

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