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Newburn

Newburn war memorial is a grade II listed memorial. It is a stone figure of a serviceman, with rifle in one hand and the other arm across his chest. The figure surmounts a stone tapering plinth with bronze inscription plaques on three sides and a wreath in low relief at the top of each plaque. The whole memorial stands at the top of a flight of steps known as the Hareside steps.

This memorial has been awarded two separate grants through the Grants for War Memorials scheme. The first grant was awarded in early 2009. It was for £7,000 to clean and re-patinate the bronze plaques and to have a bronze plaque made to replace an original plaque which had been lost. It also included works to repair the stone and for the replacement of the upper part of the rifle butt and thumb of the stone figure. This damage had been caused by vandalism. The memorial also had a history of being targeted with graffiti.

Sadly following the completion of these works the memorial was once again subject to graffiti and vandalism resulting in the removal of the rifle and both hands. As such a further grant application was received in late 2009 to address these issues and an award of £9,000 was made. Following the graffiti, unfortunately, the memorial plinth was painted over in an inappropriate paint. This is not a recommend approach as it can result in the build up of moisture and subsequent damage to the stone. This is a case were sadly someone has taken well meaning action to address an issue which unfortunately is not suitable in conservation terms due to the resulting damage it may cause to the fabric. As such the proposal also allowed for the removal of this paint and appropriate treatment to remove the graffiti.

During the project a number of methods were trialled for the removal of the paint. These proved unsuccessful. As such it was determined to be more appropriate to touch up those areas where the paint had already been lost with an appropriate porous paint rather than use more aggressive removal methods. This approach will need to be continued until all of the inappropriate paint has been lost and then the porous paint removed.

The memorial was paid for by public subscription and the designer is unknown. It was unveiled in 1922 by the Duke of Northumberland and the inscription reads:

‘To the glory
of God
and in memory of
the men
of Newburn
who fell
in the Great War
1914-1918
Their names shall live for evermore
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his
friends’

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM1078
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 34580

The National Heritage List: list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx

Virtual Arts Data Service: www.vads.ac.uk/flarge.php

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

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