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Ampthill

The Ampthill war memorial located in the churchyard of the Grade I listed St Andrew’s Church takes the form of a Latin cross and is constructed from Portland stone. The cross sits atop a hexagonal shaft on a hexagonal plinth with stepped base. The memorial was created to commemorate the fallen of the Parish from World War I with the names of the fallen from World War II being added later.

In 2013 a grant application was received to the Grants for War Memorials scheme to clean the memorial using Doff as there was a heavy build-up of lichen which was significantly obscuring the inscriptions. Following this cleaning it was intended to address the condition of the lettering. There was some debate as to the form of the lettering, however, following an inspection it became evident that the inscriptions were incised and then filled with black lime. Under the deposits these were relatively sound in most areas, as such only minor repairs work were required followed by painting of the lettering. A grant of £3,060 was offered toward this project. The final grant awarded was for £2,344 as the cost of the grant funded elements reduced.

As the project was undertaken it became evident that the shaft and cross were later additions to the memorial and that the shaft was not securely fixed. This was addressed as part of the works and the decorative collar at the top of the shaft was replaced as the level of erosion had not only led to a loss in detail but was also affecting the stability of the element.

The memorial was designed by Sir Albert Richardson Professor of Architecture at University College London, a President of the Royal Academy, editor of Architects’ Journal and founder of the Georgian Group. The memorial was dedicated on Empire Day, 24th May, 1921 and was unveiled by Lord Ampthill.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM6055
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 1922

War Memorials Online: 120624

If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org

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