Summary
A public park gateway of 1902 in the form of a Baroque triumphal arch, probably by Thomas Lumb, with gates of 1926 by H H Martyn & Co.
Reasons for Designation
The Memorial Park Gate, Fleetwood, a Baroque park gateway of 1902 probably by Thomas Lumb, with gates of 1926 by H H Martyn, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Landscape contribution: as a good, rare example of a triumphal arch used to create an impressive entrance to a public park;
* Craftsmanship: of the gates manufactured by HH Martyn & Co, including the carving of the memorial plaques;
* Group value: for its strong visual and functional relationship with the contemporary registered park (NHLE 1402219) and War Memorial (NHLE 1116884).
History
Fleetwood Memorial Park (National Heritage List for England reference 1402219) was developed from Warrenhurst Park, an early C20 park designed by Thomas Lumb of Blackpool for the Fleetwood Estate Company (FEC), on land formerly belonging to Warrenhurst House. This gateway was originally built for Warrenhurst Park, which opened in 1902. Raikes Hall in Blackpool (NHLE 1072009) had a similar but larger gateway, but it did not close until 1904.
In 1921 the FEC sold Warrenhurst Park to the Fleetwood Heroes’ Fund Committee, and in 1925 the noted town planner Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie RIBA (1879-1957) developed the park into a memorial to the Fallen of the First World War and it was renamed the Memorial Park. The gates were commissioned at this time from HH Martyn & Co of Cheltenham, replacing earlier timber gates and turnstiles. The ceremonial opening of the gates took place on 11 November 1926.
Memorial Park was the subject of a Heritage Lottery funded restoration which was completed in July 2015. This included repair and repainting of the gateway and refurbishment of the gates including the installation of brass copies of the bronze plaques which originally graced the arched opening in the centre of each of the central pair, but were later removed. The memorial gates still form an important part of annual Remembrance Service parades which are an act of collective commemoration.
Details
A Baroque park gateway of 1902 in the form of a triumphal arch, probably by Thomas Lumb, with gates of 1926 by H H Martyn & Co.
MATERIALS: painted iron gates set within a painted rendered-brick archway.
PLAN: a linear gateway comprising a central arch flanked by smaller arches and short stub walls.
DESCRIPTION: situated at the main eastern entrance into the Memorial Park off Park Avenue opposite Warrenhurst Road. The gates frame Remembrance Avenue leading to the park's war memorial (NHLE 1116884) and form an important part of the vista created by Abercrombie.
The central arch is double width, and flanked by coupled engaged columns with heavy blocking at the base, while the side arches are flanked by rusticated square pilasters. Each arch has a tall projecting keystone and capital mouldings to the jambs at the springing point. The arches are surmounted by a dentilled cornice, with attached lettering reading ‘MEMORIAL PARK’ and a balustrade over the central arch. The stub walls have attached metal numbers giving the dates of the First and Second World Wars at the left and right respectively. The design elements are all repeated on the park elevation and the narrow returns.
The design of all the gates is similar, with a margin of circles, central panels of vertical bars with circles below, and a lower panel with a central sunburst design. The centre gates are shouldered at the hinge with an anthemion finial, while the outer gates are surmounted by a moulded horizontal bar supported on scrolled feet. Brass plaques are fitted to each of the central gates, depicting a soldier and a marine.
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, 2 February 2017.
