Grove Park War Memorial

Summary

A war memorial and sculpture of 1922 by Alfred Drury RA, with 1940s memorial plinths to the north.

Reasons for Designation

The war memorial at Grove Park, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20 and C21;
* Architectural interest: an elegant design by sculptor of national note Alfred Drury, and well-crafted in bronze and dressed Portland stone. The later plinths to the military and civilian fallen in the Second World War provide an equally respectful memorial to the north;
* Intactness: the structure is unaltered.

History

The war memorial to the men of the Borough of Weston-Super-Mare was erected in 1922, and designed by Alfred Drury RA. Following the Second World War, an additional memorial wall of three plinths with plaques was built to the north, designed by Walter Cave. The war memorial was re-dedicated in 1946 and c.2000 and two additional plaques listing 21 more First World War casualties have since been added to the memorial. In the C21 there is an additional plinth to each side of the 1940s memorial wall.

(Edward) Alfred Briscoe Drury RA (1856-1944). Drury studied under Édouard Lantéri and Jules Dalou, and became assistant to Joseph Boehm. From the turn of the C20, Drury had a long series of public commissions for decorative and memorial sculpture; many of which were exhibited at the Royal Academy. Chief among them were eight groups of sculpture for the War Office (1905), sculptures for the main entrance of the Victoria and Albert Museum (1908), four bronze figures for Vauxhall Bridge (1909), and sculpture for the gate pillars of the Victoria Memorial (1911). Drury was also responsible for notable portrait-sculpture including statues of Queen Victoria (1903) at Portsmouth and Bradford, the bust of King Edward VII (1903) at Warrington, and also portraits of (Sir) Arthur Schuster (1902), Sir Robert (later Lord) Baden-Powell (1915), and (Sir) Frank Brangwyn (1919). His best-known single work is the statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds, which stands in the courtyard of Burlington House, London, completed in 1931.

Walter Cave (1863-1939) studied art at the Royal Academy Schools and was then articled to Arthur Blomfield. He went to set up an architectural practice in London and executed CFA Voysey’s design for Dixcote, London Borough of Wandsworth in 1897. He worked across a number of building types during his career, perhaps his most notable commission being Burberry’s, Haymarket, City of Westminster (1912). He was also a landscape and interior designer, and furniture maker.

Details

War memorial and sculpture of 1922, by Alfred Drury RA, with 1940s memorial plinths attributed to Walter Cave.

MATERIALS: a bronze sculpture on a Portland stone plinth and pedestal with bronze plaques. The 1940s plinths are also of stone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial sculpture is a winged Victory standing on a globe with her arms outstretched. She holds a small olive branch in her right hand. The octagonal pedestal column has scrolled feet at each corner, and a moulded cap. Front face, upper plaque reads: THESE DIED/ THAT WE MIGHT LIVE/ TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF THE/ MEN OF WESTON SUPER MARE/ UPHILL AND KEWSTOKE WHO/ FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919/ (Names)/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE. The lower plaque reads: REDEDICATED / TO THE HONOURED MEMORY OF/ ALL THOSE OF THE/ BOROUGH OF WESTON SUPER MARE/ WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE WAR/ 1939-1945. The other faces have names of others fallen in the First World War (402 in total on the memorial), with moulded stone wreaths below.

The memorial stands within a paved rectangle and is prominently sited in a memorial garden within Grove Park, close to and intervisible with the bandstand (qv).

20 metres to the north is a memorial wall in three sections with Moderne-style moulded caps and the names of those killed in the Second World War placed on bronze plaques. The central section is inscribed: 1939 1945/ H.M. FORCES with 186 names below. An enamelled crest of Weston Super Mare has been placed in between the dates. The sections to each side are inscribed CIVILIANS with113 names below. Two additional plinths have been placed either side of it for additional names. The memorial also includes the names of casualties in the Korean War (1), Egypt and the Suez Crisis (1), Northern Ireland (1) and Twentieth Century Wars (3).

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Foyle, A, The Buildings of England: Somerset: North and Bristol, (2011), 713

Websites
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - Drury, (Edward) Alfred (Briscoe) (156-1944), accessed 16/10/2015 from http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/olddnb/32905

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