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Broadstone

 Broadstone war memorial is a figure sculpture in Broadstone Recreation Ground, Broadstone, Dorset. It is Grade II listed and located in the Ridgeway and Broadstone Park, Poole conservation area.

In 2022, a grant of £4,300 was awarded through the Grants for War Memorials scheme, supported by Historic England.

It supported repair and sympathetic conservation works. Biological staining was prevalent on the base of the memorial and relief carvings. Tests were carried out to understand the level of impact hand cleaning would have. This very low impact method of cleaning did not provide sufficient cleaning so Thermatech steam cleaning was then trialled and as the stone was sound enough it was cleaned using this method at low pressure. In addition to the memorial cleaning the paving was also cleaned. Any joints that were open were pointed with a lime putty based mortar which was mixed to match the colour and texture of the stone. During the works it was found that a failing mortar repair was partially disguising a carving mistake on the WWII date and a decision was made that the repair would be reinstated. The slate name tablets had delaminated and a specialist solution was applied to fill the cracks and slow the delamination process. Lettering on the main dedication was carefully conserved, lettering was only worked on where absolutely necessary to improve legibility. A cover meter survey was also undertaken to establish the presence of embedded iron fixings.

The memorial, by Gilbert Bayes and unveiled 1920, is a Portland stone sculpture depicting a winged female figure in a mourning pose who is holding a wreath draped with flags in each hand. She stands on a column that rises from a plinth which has laurel swags carved in each corner. Stylized military figures from the Army, Navy and the Flying Corps are carved in bas-relief to the East and West sides of the plinth. The North plinth is carved with blank shields. The names are inscribed on slate plaques, the WWII one being a later addition. Gilbert Bayes was a prolific British Sculpture who created several war memorials.

The main dedication of the memorial reads:

To the memory of the officers and men of Broadstone District who fell in the war
Their name liveth for evermore

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM3003
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: WMR26364

War Memorials Online: WMO/97818

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

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