Summary

War Memorial, 1921. Designed by Reginald Wynn Owen (1876-1950), architect to the London & North Western Railway Company (LNWR). Bronze figures modelled by Ambrose Neale, chief artist of R L Boulton & Sons of Cheltenham, contractors for the memorial.

Description

The memorial consists of a tall (13m high) obelisk of Portland stone on a tall pedestal, on a grey granite circular stepped base. The top of the obelisk is carved with four crosses in relief with bronze wreaths encircling their feet. The obelisk has a moulded base with a reeded band. Stepped buttresses at each angle of the pedestal support four over life-sized bronze statues representing the Navy, the Infantry, the Artillery and the Air Force, resting on reversed arms, with heads bowed. The front (south) face of the obelisk is inscribed IN/ MEMORY/ OF OUR/ GLORIOUS/ DEAD.

A granite panel on the front face of the pedestal is inscribed IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF 3719 MEN OF THE/ LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY/ WHO FOR THEIR COUNTRY, JUSTICE AND FREEDOM/ SERVED AND DIED IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919/ THIS MONUMENT WAS RAISED BY THEIR/ COMRADES AND THE COMPANY AS A/ LASTING MEMORIAL TO THEIR DEVOTION. Stone inscription panels on the east and west sides commemorate employees of the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company (into which the LNWR was absorbed in 1921) who died in the Second World War REMEMBER/ THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE/ LONDON MIDLAND AND SCOTTISH/ 1939 RAILWAY 1945.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 9 February 2017.

History

The memorial was paid for mainly by the subscriptions of LNWR staff, to commemorate the 3,719 LNWR employees who fell in the First World War. It was unveiled by Field Marshal Earl Haig on 21 October 1921 and dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It stood at the centre of Euston Square, on the approach road to old Euston Station, on the same axis as the Euston Arch (demolished 1962).

Reasons for Listing

The LNWR/LMSR War Memorial, Euston Square, is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: an imposing composition whose group of four over life-size bronze figures, executed R L Boulton & Sons, a notable firm of architectural masons and sculptors, is of considerable quality. It is relatively uncommon in depicting an airman; only a small number of First World War memorials do so with such prominence;
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events upon, and the sacrifices made by, the workforce of the LNWR, one of Britain’s principal railway companies;
* Group value: with the Grade II-listed station lodges of 1870, which frame the views of the memorial from Euston Road.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• London and North Western Railway War Memorial at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q23988281

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
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  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version