Rochester War Memorial

War Memorial Garden, High Street, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1JY

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Overview

First World War memorial designed by Sir Herbert Baker FRIBA RA, unveiled 1922, with later additions for the Second World War. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1445817
Date first listed:: 16-May-2017
List Entry Name:: Rochester War Memorial
Statutory Address:: War Memorial Garden, High Street, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1JY

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1445817
Date first listed:: 16-May-2017
List Entry Name:: Rochester War Memorial
Location Description:
Statutory Address 1:: War Memorial Garden, High Street, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1JY

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: War Memorial Garden, High Street, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1JY

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Medway (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:: TQ7432668526

Summary

First World War memorial designed by Sir Herbert Baker FRIBA RA, unveiled 1922, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Rochester War Memorial, which stands between Rochester Cathedral and the High Street, 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 sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;

* Architectural interest: a simple yet elegant memorial cross including Sir Herbert Baker’s reversed sword and warship motifs;

* Architect: by the nationally renowned architect Sir Herbert Baker FRIBA RA (1862-1946), who designed a number of memorials at home and abroad;

* Group value: with the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Rochester (Grade I) and numerous listed buildings on the High Street.

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 England. 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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker FRIBA RA, was raised at Rochester as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. A photograph dated 1922 showing the memorial cross bedecked with floral tributes suggests that the unveiling ceremony took place that year.

In his early work for the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission Baker made a proposal for a cross to stand in all of the Commission’s cemeteries, but a design by Sir Reginald Blomfield was chosen. Although the Commission’s architects were free to use crosses of their own choice within the cemeteries that they designed, the Blomfield cross proved to be the universal choice. Baker, nevertheless, used variants of his cross design for a number of English war memorials, including that at Rochester.

Sir Herbert Baker FRIBA RA (1862-1946) was born, and died, in Cobham, his English home. Articled to Arthur Baker in 1881, he was Assistant to Messrs Ernest George and Peto (1886-90) and attended the Royal Academy Schools. During the 1890s he was in South Africa, designing the Prime Ministerial residence ‘Groote Schuur’ and many private residences as well as government buildings following the South African union. From 1912 he collaborated with Sir Edwin Lutyens in India on New Dehli. From 1917 to 1928 Baker was one of the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission principal architects, for whom he designed 113 cemeteries on the Western Front including Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world. He was also responsible for four Memorials to the Missing including those to the South Africans at Delville Wood and the Indians at Neuve Chapelle. He designed 24 war memorials in England. During the inter-war years his work at home included South Africa House (Grade II*), Rhodes House (Grade II*) and, his last major public commission, the Bank of England (Grade I).

Details

The Portland stone memorial cross stands in a small war memorial garden to the east of the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Rochester (Grade I-listed), overlooking the High Street. It consists of a tall, blind, wheel-head cross with an octagonal shaft and moulded foot, standing on a base. The base comprises an octagonal drum with a shallow circular head. The base stands on three octagonal steps.

A sword is carved in low relief on the front face of the cross. At the centre of the wheel-head to the rear is a carving of a warship in full sail. The inscription to the front face of the base reads LEST WE/ FORGET/ 1914 1918 with, on the top step, 1939 1945.

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, 6 June 2017.

Sources

Books and journals
Emmanuel, M, Contemporary Architects, (1984)
Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 6 June 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/161765
War Memorials Register, accessed 6 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/16541
Other
RIBA Drawings Collection: Drawings of Sir Herbert Baker

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.