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Harpenden

The war memorial in the mid-Hertfordshire town of Harpenden is a large Cornish granite Celtic cross on a plinth and a three stepped base. The cross is decorated around the wheel and along the whole shaft. The front face of the plinth is rough stone with the dedication inscribed on a polished area. Bronze plaques with lists of names are fixed to the other faces of the plinth; two record the fallen of World War I and one records the fallen of World War II. There is an inscription along the risers of the top two steps of the memorial. The memorial stands on the church green in the centre of Harpenden.

In 2008/9 English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation offered £1,410 towards work to clean the memorial, cut out loose mortar and re-point, remove flaking sections of granite and make good existing repairs. The bronze plaques were cleaned, the corrosion treated and wax was applied to protect them. Some areas which needed re-patination were treated with bronzing solution.

The inscription on the front of the plinth reads

"To the
glorious memory of
the men of Harpenden
who fought and died
in the Great Wars
1914 – 1919 and 1939 – 1945

Their name
liveth for evermore"

On the top steps the inscription reads

"Erected by the people of Harpenden
in gratitude love and pride"

The memorial was designed by Ernest Hasseldine and the architect was Stanley Salisbury. The stone was sourced from the Penryn quarries of John Freeman & Sons in Cornwall. The memorial was unveiled on Saturday 9th October 1920 by Lt Gen the Earl of Cavan, Commander-in-Chief at Aldershot.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM2577
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 14633

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

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