TheHall of Memoryis awar memorialinCentenary Square,Birmingham,England,designed byS. N. Cookeand W. N. Twist. Erected 1922–25 by John Barnsley and Son, it commemorates the 12,320 Birmingham citizens who died inWorld War I.[2]
| Hall of Memory | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | War memorial |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Address | Centenary Square |
| Town or city | Birmingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Elevation | Roof is 159.64 m (523.8 ft)ASL |
| Construction started | 12 June 1923 |
| Opened | 4 July 1925 |
| Cost | £60,000 |
| Height | 17 m (56 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Portland stone |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) |
|
| Main contractor |
|
Listed Building– Grade I | |
| Designated | 27 October 2014 |
| Reference no. | 1244943[1] |
Built directly over a filled-in canal basin of Gibson's Arm,[3]it was the first structure in an area (now occupied by Centenary Square and theInternational Convention CentreandSymphony Hall) purchased by the council for the creation of a grand civic scheme to include new council offices, the mayor's residence, a public library, and a concert hall. The scheme was abandoned after the commencement ofWorld War IIwith only half of one wing of the plannedBaskerville Househaving been built.
Made fromPortland stone,from theIsle of PortlandinDorset,the foundation stone was laid by thePrince of Waleson 12 June 1923 and it was opened byPrince Arthur of Connaughton 4 July 1925 to a crowd of 30,000.[4]Construction had cost £60,000 and was funded through public donations.[5][6]The four statues around the exterior are by local artistAlbert Toft.They represent theArmy,theNavy,theAir Force,and Women's Services.[7]
The interior features three carvedbas-reliefplaques (155 cm x 223 cm) byWilliam Bloyerepresenting three tableaux:Call(departure to war),Front Line(fighting),Return(arrival home of the wounded). These bear inscriptions:
OF 150,000 WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO ARMS 12,320 FELL: 35,000 CAME HOME DISABLED
AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
SEE TO IT THAT THEY SHALL NOT HAVE SUFFERED ANDDIED IN VAIN+*+
There is also a roll of honour illustrated bySidney Meteyard.[8]
The hall was upgraded on 27 October 2014 to a Grade Ilisted building[1][9]from its previous Grade II.[10]
During theBirmingham Blitz,on the night of 11 December 1940, all but the fine tower and classical west portico of St Thomas' Church, Bath Row, was destroyed by German bombs. The church was never rebuilt. The First World War Memorial colonnade, which had been built alongside the Hall of Memory in 1925, was relocated there when Centenary Square was laid out 1989. The gardens were re-designed as theSt Thomas' Peace Gardenin 1995 in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II, as a monument to peace, and as a memorial to all those killed in armed conflict.
References
edit- ^abHistoric England."Hall of Memory (Grade I) (1244943)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved10 November2014.
- ^"Hall of Memory - Birmingham City Council".Archived fromthe originalon 14 May 2011.Retrieved17 October2003.
- ^Bartlam, Norman (2002).Broad Street Birmingham.Stroud: Sutton.ISBN0-7509-2874-3.
- ^Upton 1993, p. 195.
- ^Noszlopy 1998, p. 22.
- ^Upton 1993, p. 195, says that the final cost was pared down to £35,000.
- ^Noszlopy 1998, pp. 21–22.
- ^"Obituary (Sidney Harold Meteyard)".The Birmingham Post.7 April 1947.
- ^Kennedy, Maev (11 November 2014)."Four war memorials given Grade I listing for Armistice Day".The Guardian.Retrieved12 November2014.
- ^Historic England."Grade II (1244943)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved17 September2009.
Sources
edit- Budden, L. B. (February 1926). "The Birmingham Hall of Memory".Architectural Review.59:50–55.
- Foster, Andy (2005).Birmingham.Pevsner Architectural Guides.New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 65, 142–43.ISBN978-0-300-10731-9.
- Noszlopy, George T.(1998). Beach, Jeremy (ed.).Public Sculpture of Birmingham: including Sutton Coldfield.Public Sculpture of Britain. Vol. 2. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. pp. 21–24.ISBN0-85323-692-5.
- Upton, Chris (1993).A History of Birmingham.Chichester: Phillimore. pp. 195–96.ISBN0-85033-870-0.
External links
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