The War Memorial at St Paul’s Church, Brighton
Appreciation
by John Gill
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The memorial to the memory of those men who fell during the
First World War at St Paul’s Church was originally sited at the West Street
end of the cloister to the south of the church. At least 25 years ago it was
taken down and moved to the basement while the cloister was redecorated; it
was never reinstalled. The PCC decided to restore the shrine as research has
shown it to be a rare example of its type and in remarkably good condition. The memorial is a modest
construction of stained wood with glazed panels. Though the Cross, which is
placed centrally on the memorial, is present, the original figure of Christ,
the corpus, is missing, perhaps removed for safe keeping. The corpus will be
replaced when the shrine is renovated. One of the panes of glass on the two
framed lists of those who
fell was broken and has been removed. There are 52 names on the memorial,
inscribed on paper in 2 rows of 26; the initial letters of all the names,
having been inscribed in red ink, are faded and in some cases barely legible.
The frames are in the form of lockable doors to facilitate access for
updating. The structure is in generally good condition, though the horizontal
ledge at the base, on which small vases of flowers rested, is in need of
replacement. The whole is in need of general refurbishment. The following
text is carved in the wood of the memorial and is in good condition: REST The date of its construction,
1916, explains the absence of any reference to The Great War or the dates of
the war. |
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In assessing the continuing
value of the memorial it is important to note that its modest construction is
not the result of limited ambition or funding at the time of its making. It
is a typical example of the street shrine, about which much has been written
in recent years, and a positive response to the advice given to local
churches and councils by A E Benson, President of the Civic Arts Association,
to commission modest memorials from local craftsmen.
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Restoring the Memorial Both the National Inventory
of War Memorials and the War Memorials Trust discourage the disposal or
relocation of memorials unless they are damaged beyond repair or at risk.
Even when a new memorial is commissioned – not the case here - it is
advisable to preserve the original, unless it is damaged beyond repair, as it
is a ‘historic document’. It is the opinion of Dr Catherine Moriarty,
previously Registrar of War Memorials at the Imperial War Museum that street
shrines, like that at St Paul’s, are comparatively rare, having been replaced
or disposed of and that the few surviving examples are at risk and in need of
conservation. The memorial presents a wonderful opportunity for the church to
work with the best local crafts-people, wood-carvers and calligraphers, to
refurbish and re-present in a new informative context. The calligrapher
Gerald Fleuss at The Edward Johnston Foundation in
Ditchling, has been commissioned to re-inscribe the names, and a local
craftsman engaged to repair the fabric of the memorial. The
restored memorial was re-dedicated by |
