War memorial

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Granite, obelisk-like war memorial of 1934, situated in the centre of the landscaped Court Square to the SE of Newtownards town centre. The memorial is roughly 7m in height and consists of a square tapering obelisk with shaped head [?was there something once on top], with a panelled surbase and pedestal base beneath, with the whole ensemble resting on a spreading base of four steps.
The N face of the obelisk has a female figure with [?olive] branch in relief [presumably symbolising peace], with a bundle of fasces above with a motif with lion’s head at the very top. The N face of the surbase has a projecting panel with metal letter ‘inscription’, with names of the fallen of the Great War on the other faces of this portion. The pedestal base has a carving of a section of the coat of arms of Newtownards, with the names of the fallen of the Second World War to the other faces of this portion.
This memorial appears to be in good condition and the landscaped square around it is well cared for.

Historical information

Almost three hundred men from the Newtownards area lost their lives in the First World War. In the years following 1918 however, when may other centres were erecting memorials to the fallen, the Newtownards town Council could not agree to spend money on such a monument. In frustration, some ex-servicemen [during a winter in the early 1920s] built their own memorial in the middle of Court Square out of snow, with the inscription ‘Lest we forget’ upon it. Their motive was to shame the council into action, but the police were called and each man fined a shilling for loitering. The protesters, along with other ex-servicemen later proceeded to build their own memorial of wood in the premises in Victoria Avenue. It was not until 1934 that the council finally got around to the construction of this official war memorial.

References- Secondary sources
1 Trevor McCavery 'Newtown: a history of Newtownards' (Dundonald 1994), pp.192-193.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A granite obelisk-like war memorial erected in 1934 to commemorate the fallen of the Great War. Set in a beautifully managed garden of rememberance, this structure, whilst not sufficiently unusual to merit listing, is of considerable local significance.