Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled 1926, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Oldbury Cenotaph, which stands in Town Square, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a well-proportioned cenotaph in the Classical style, referencing Sir Edwin Lutyens’ Whitehall Cenotaph (1920);
* Group value: with 2, Halesowen Street (Grade II).
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Oldbury as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Although no names are recorded on the cenotaph, 284 names are listed in Oldbury’s illuminated Book of Memory.
Details
The memorial is a tall cenotaph in Cornish granite, standing on a paved area in front of the former Town Hall (not listed) and opposite 2, Halesowen Street (Grade II). The pylon rises from a five-stepped base, rectangular on plan, and at the top dies back to the foot of the empty tomb. The tomb is in the form of a tapered Classical chest, ornamented with hemispherical bosses.
End of official list entry
