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St Margaret's Hope, South Ronaldsay
Town or City: St Margaret's Hope
County: Orkney
Country: Scotland
WMT Reference Number: WM6435
Value of grant: £9370.00
Type of memorial: Freestanding
Type of work: Conservation and repair
Grant scheme: Centenary Memorials Restoration Fund
Year: 2016
UKNIWM reference number: 2083
The memorial is located at the road junction south of St. Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay. It is composed of a sandstone rubble cairn inset with sandstone panels with incised inscriptions marking those from South Ronaldsay who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. The cairn is surmounted by a granite statue of a kilted soldier. The memorial is elevated on a rubble paved base and set by a rubble boundary wall inset with date plaques.
In 2015 a grant of £9,370.00 was offered for repair and conservation work. Inappropriate cement mortar pointing was failing, potentially allowing water ingress. The pointing of the base and steps had cracked and part of the rubble paving required repair. The masonry had also attracted considerable biological growth.
To address these issues the failed mortar was carefully raked out and re-pointed using a lime mortar. Repairs were then undertaken to the surrounding hard landscape. Organic growth was carefully removed using wooden tools and the masonry cleaned using natural bristle brushes and water. Defective paint was carefully extracted from the incised inscriptions and the letters re-painted using like-for-like enamel paint.
The memorial was unveiled and dedicated in August 1921.
Further information
War Memorials Trust reference WM6435
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 2083
War Memorials Online: 145050
If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org
