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40093

The Grade I Listed Hall of Memory on Centenary Square, alongside Broad Street, Westside, Birmingham, West Midlands.

A war memorial designed by designed by S. N. Cooke and W. N. Twist and erected 1922–25, by John Barnsley and Son, to commemorate the 12,320 Birmingham citizens who died in World War I.

Built directly over a filled-in canal basin of Gibson's Arm, it was the first structure in an area (now occupied by Centenary Square and the International Convention Centre and Symphony Hall) purchased by the council for the creation of a grand civic scheme to include new council offices, the mayor's residence, a public library, and a concert hall. The scheme was abandoned after the commencement of World War II with only half of the planned Baskerville House having been built.

Made from Portland stone, from the Isle of Portland in Dorset, the foundation stone was laid by HRH The Prince of Wales on 12 June 1923 and it was opened by Prince Arthur of Connaught on 4 July 1925 to a crowd of 30,000. Construction had cost £60,000 and was funded through public donations. The four statues around the exterior are by local artist Albert Toft. They represent the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and Women's Services.

The interior features three carved bas-relief plaques by William Bloye representing three tableaux: Call (departure to war), Front Line (fighting), Return (arrival home of the wounded). These bear inscriptions:

OF 150,000 WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO ARMS 12,320 FELL: 35,000 CAME HOME DISABLED
AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
SEE TO IT THAT THEY SHALL NOT HAVE SUFFERED AND DIED IN VAIN +*+

During the Birmingham Blitz, on the night of 11 December 1940, all but the fine tower and classical west portico of St. Thomas' Church, Bath Row, was destroyed by German bombs. The church was never rebuilt. The First World War Memorial colonnade, which had been built alongside the Hall of Memory in 1925, was relocated there when Centenary Square was laid out 1989. The gardens were re-designed as the St. Thomas' Peace Garden in 1995 in commermoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II, as a monument to peace, and as a memorial to all those killed in armed conflict.

Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_of_Memory,_Birmingham

Taken in: UK / England / Brum (show map)

Taken on: December 24, 2018

Tags:

Centenary Square

Broad Street

Birmingham

West Midlands

Midlands

England

English

United Kingdom

Great Britain

Britain

British

urban

Hall of Memory

Grade I Listed

Grade I Listed Building

W. N. Twist

war memorial

John Barnsley and Son

Prince Arthur of Connaught

memorial

William Bloye « less

Sets appears in: • Westside • West Midlands more » • Broad Street / Centenary Square • Birmingham « less

Groups appears in: • Memorials • Birmingham: It's Not Shit more » • "Unlimited Photos: No Rules" • View of Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Birmingham. • Midlands Landmarks • Flickr Photo Album Unlimited & Instant Posting • A HISTORY « less

Camera: Nikon D7200, f/4.0, 1/60 sec, 18mm (=27mm), ISO 3200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7200
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length:	18mm (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
ISO:	3200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	High gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Windows Photo Editor 10.0.10011.16384
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