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Bamburgh

The Bamburgh war memorial is located within a rocky hollow at the foot of Bamburgh Castle. The Castle is Grade I listed by the memorial is not within its curtilage, it is however within Bamburgh Conservation Area. The memorial is in the form of a Portland stone cross with Christ figure mounted on a square plinth. Within the niche there are also a number of bronze plaques which record the names of the fallen.

In 2009, an award through the Grants for War Memorials Scheme, supported by English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation,  supported works to the Bamburgh war memorial. These included the removal of biological deposits, cleaning, the consolidation of friable surfaces, re-pointing and mortar repairs. The inscription to the bottom of the shaft of the cross had faded and was illegible. Evidence showed that the plinth originally read ‘Greater love hath no man than this’. Given the level of decay to this area it was agreed that a new piece of stone with the inscription would be pieced in. Finally, the bronze plaques also required cleaning, re-patinating and the application of a protective microcrystalline wax. A grant of £4,535 was originally made against a total project cost of £9,070 which was reduced to £4,305 at the time of payment due to a decrease in the overall project costs.

In 2016, a Professional Advice Grant through War Memorials Trust Grants Scheme, supported by the First World War Memorials Programme and voluntary donations provide £2,250 towards a survey, and production of a Specification of Works, by a conservation-accredited professional. Some of the works undertaken in 2009 had failed and concerns were ongoing about the condition of the war memorial. It was felt that undertaking a comprehensive condition survey to identify all possible options for the future of the war memorial could help all parties decide on appropriate next steps for the long-term preservation of the memory of those commemorated by this war memorial.

In April 2018, a further £2,250 through Grants for War Memorials, supported by the First World War Memorials Programme and Historic England, assisted assessment geological assessment of the stone. Given the challenges of the site and earlier failure of works it has been felt that it is important to carry out extensive investigations to understand the material and identify appropriate stone to introduce to the site to maximise the chances of successful works.

In October 2018, £24,962 through Grants for War Memorials, supported by the First World War Memorials Programme and Historic England, then assisted further works based on the geological investigations. The stonework was cleaned and re-pointed whilst the bronze works were cleaned and re-waxed. Areas of failing stone were replicated in carved new, geologically matched, stone and replaced within the structure following careful dismantling.

The memorial was designed by Messrs Hicks and Charewood and the sculpture was by Mr Milburn. The memorial was unveiled by Lord Armstrong on the 15th May 1921. The main dedication is on the plinth of the memorial and reads:

‘To the glorious memory
of the men of Bamburgh
who gave their lives for
their country in the wars
1914-1919 and 1939-1945
May they rest in peace’

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM3059
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 33308

War Memorials Online: 132447

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

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