Colchester War Memorial

[Nemesis]

I've been doing a spot of research regarding the sculptor Henry Fehr, and came across this website.

http://www.camulos.com/war/memorial.htm


I thought the acquisitions and demolitions and town planning issues detailed here, coupled with what must have been wonderful skills of diplomacy, worthy of an epic novel, while the idea of the local 'nobs' purchasing historic buildings in order to present them to the town and clear the way for what was seen as a great civic scheme more than interesting!

If only Pathfinder and other supposed civic schemes were today as high-minded. It's more usual now to demolish buildings to build a supermarket.

 

[Penners]

I've often thought that the site of Colchester War Memorial, together with the castle and park behind it, would be an ideal site for a lovely new shopping mall - preferably with a nice plastic pastiche clock tower on it.

Such a waste of space as it is now.

Actually the memorial, the castle, and Castle Park are lovely. Quite the best area of the town. Unfortunately, however, the little streets at the back of the park, down near the river, have not been enhanced by a large, new development of bijou apartments, housed in buildings that try (and fail by a mile) to look "heritage".

 

[Nemesis]

While I'm sure it's easy to dismiss the memorial as old fashioned, it is a very lovely thing. Fehr was a talented sculptor, some of whose work is about to be ruined, if HM Gov, gets its way re housing the new Supreme Court in Middlesex Guildhall.

Yes - heritage isn't what it was. Ye old heritage pastiche makes cash though... for some.

Pave Paradise, put up a parking lot, as the song goes.

 

[CHRIS]

I would not want to be the one who messed with a War memorial in a town where the Paras call home, especially as so many brave men have been killed in the last year !!!!!

 

[Penners]

While I'm sure it's easy to dismiss the memorial as old fashioned, it is a very lovely thing.

My post was supposed to be ironic!

I entirely agree about the War Memorial. It has great elegance and presence - absolutely appropriate to its function. Have you seen it "in the flesh", or don't you venture down here to temperate climes?

 

[Nemesis]

I have seen it, a very long time ago... I have relatives in the region you know!

I was not so far from you earlier this year - Sudbury and various other places...

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

 

[Penners]

I have seen it, a very long time ago... I have relatives in the region you know!

There was a wonderful one-liner in one of the Carry On... films years ago.

"I have relations in this part of the country."

"Oh really - who with?"

I'll get me coat.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Unfortunately the burghers of Colchester in more recent years have not lived up to their predecessors. The hideous inner ring road built in the 1970s ripped through the fabric of the town and destroyed many fine old buildings, including the Carpenters' Arms pub of which my great grandfather was the landlord; in the 1980s a vast crater was dug in the heart of the old Roman town to accommodate an underground delivery system for a ghastly shopping centre, which itself disfigured a number of fine buildings including the old library and a fine georgian house in Head street; the Cups hotel next to Belcher's very good neo baroque town hall was replaced by a bland office block; St Nicolas, one of Gilbert Scott's best churches was knocked down to build a Coop department store....

Colchester has another war memorial, its Avenue of Remberence, the original by pass. This was lined with flowering cherry trees, each bearing a plaque to commemorate a soldier who died in the first world war. Most of these plaques have now been lost and the Council recentlt proposed to cut all the trees down to put in a bus lane. Disgraceful.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Unfortunately the burghers of Colchester in more recent years have not lived up to their predecessors. The hideous inner ring road built in the 1970s ripped through the fabric of the town and destroyed many fine old buildings, including the Carpenters' Arms pub of which my great grandfather was the landlord; in the 1980s a vast crater was dug in the heart of the old Roman town to accommodate an underground delivery system for a ghastly shopping centre, which itself disfigured a number of fine buildings including the old library and a fine georgian house in Head street; the Cups hotel next to Belcher's very good neo baroque town hall was replaced by a bland office block; St Nicolas, one of Gilbert Scott's best churches was knocked down to build a Coop department store....

Colchester has another war memorial, its Avenue of Remberence, the original by pass. This was lined with flowering cherry trees, each bearing a plaque to commemorate a soldier who died in the first world war. Most of these plaques have now been lost and the Council recentlt proposed to cut all the trees down to put in a bus lane. Disgraceful.

 

[Nemesis]

Let's hope then that they don't read David's post, in case he is taken seriously!

It's called progress so I'm told...

Just like Middlesex Guildhall, which is a disgrace. If a private owner proposed ripping the guts from a II* listed building in this manner I wonder what would be said? Somehow, when it's corporate or public vandalism, there's always an excuse...

This is Fehr's bust of Ruskin, much acclaimed in its time.

"Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts:- The book of their deeds, the book of their words, and the book of their art."

Ruskin.