The most famous and iconic war memorial in Britain is undoubtedly The Cenotaph in London. It was designed by one of the leading architects of the 20th century, Edwin Lutyens. Unveiled in 1919 as a temporary structure of wood and plaster, it made such a powerful impact that it was soon re-built permanently in stone. When, in the aftermath of the First World War, the people of Newtown (Y Drenewydd) came to decide what kind of memorial to the fallen they wanted, they opted for a replica of the original Cenotaph. It is scaled-down, but to my mind loses none of the grandeur of the original.
Unusually, after the Second World War, Newtown’s residents
began to consider a new form of memorial to add to the Cenotaph. They were long
and at times tortuous discussions. Many proposals were put forward, including a
swimming baths, sports ground and memorial hall but a decision eluded the
authorities until 1952, seven years after the end of the War. By then, the Park
surrounding Newtown Hall had passed into public ownership and it was decided to
adorn it with new Park Gates and a bandstand. The latter however was not a
great success.
Newtown's memorial bandstand
The intention was that Newtown Silver Band would give recitals
in the Park. Unfortunately they did not prove as popular as expected and on one
sad occasion in 1955 the Band played to an audience of only two. Adding to the
problems, the bandstand turned out to be too small to house the whole Band of
25-30 players. Slowly it fell into disuse and disrepair and finally in 1985 it
was demolished. All that remains today is the slowly deteriorating concrete
base. The decorative gates however have survived and still form a beautiful and
appropriate memorial.
Newtown Park Gates
