Showcase result

Cockermouth

Cockermouth war memorial is a bronze sculpture of Justice, holding a wreath in her right hand, atop stone rectangular column. The inscriptions are incised in the column, which also features a wreath and burning torch in relief. It is located on Station Street, Cockermouth, outside the Cockermouth Fire Station.

In 2018, a grant of £17,130 was awarded through Grants for War Memorials, supported by the First World War Memorials Programme and Historic England. Following a condition survey undertaken by a Conservation Accredited Architect it became apparent that the bronze statue on the war memorial was in poor condition and there were concerns over the stability of the memorial which was being affected by the presence of iron cramps. Over time the pointing on the memorial had failed allowing moisture to reach the cramps causing them to rust and expand which led to cracking in the stone. This had been exacerbated by the use of inappropriate cementitious mortar in the past which drives moisture to move through the stonework instead resulting in damage. Due to the level of damage it was necessary to dismantle the memorial and rebuild the stone column using more appropriate lime mortar and allow the removal of the iron cramps. The survey also showed that the bronze statue was made up of several sections with the seams visible and showing evidence of corrosion. There were also holes in the bronze which was allowing water to enter the statue. The bronze required cleaning, filling of holes within the bronze and repatination followed by the application of a protective microcrystalline wax. A new armature was also introduced to support the bronze statue in the future.

SmartWater was also applied to the war memorial as part of the In Memoriam 2014 project seeking to deter the theft of metal from war memorials.

The memorial was designed by Mr J W Doyle Jones, of Chelsea London and it was unveiled on the 24th September 1922.  

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM7140
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 4026

War Memorials Online: 238091

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

Return to search results | Start a new search