Summary

War memorial, unveiled 1920, in the form of a bronze statue of Christ atop a plinth.

Description

Bronze statue of Christ in a long flowing robe, his head bowed, and holding up a crown of thorns in his hands. Beneath Christ's right heel is the author's signature: ARILD ROSENKRANTZ / 1919. This stands on a limestone and granite plinth forming part of the outer boundary wall to the church; the front face of the plinth bears the inscription: TO THE / MEMORY / OF THOSE / WHO / SERVED / 1914 - 1918.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 23 November 2017.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised in St George's Church (now flats), in what is now Burgess Park, as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the local community. It was unveiled on Sunday 19 September 1920 by the Mayor of Camberwell John George Spradbrow and Reverend PM Herbert, Vicar of St George's Church. The funds for the memorial were raised by local parishioners.

On 20 August 1991 the sculpture was stolen, but was later recovered in a scrapyard in Brixton and re-installed. It was refurbished in 2004.

Arild Rosenkrantz (1870 - 1964) was a Danish artist, working predominantly in stained glass and painting. His father died when he was three years old; he was thus raised almost entirely by his Scottish mother, who inculcated in him a strong interest in mysticism and spirituality which is evident in much of his work. Rosenkrantz studied and worked in Rome, Paris and New York, before settling in London in 1898, marrying his cousin in 1901. He became deeply involved with Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophic Society, moving to the group's headquarters in Dornach, Switzerland for a while and helping to design the Society's Goetheanum building there. In 1925 Rosenkrantz and his wife moved back to London. Whilst visiting Denmark in 1940 they were caught up in the Nazi invasion and were unable to leave; they decided to stay and set up a home at Rosenholm Castle, where Rosenkrantz stayed until his death in 1964.

Reasons for Listing

Burgess Park War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifices they made in the First World War;
* Design: as an attractive and emotive sculpture of Christ by Danish artist Arild Rosenkrantz;
* Group value: with the Grade II-listed St George's Church.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q37845109

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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