Tate South Lambeth Library is hosting an important – and moving – exhibition on Stockwell’s First World War Memorial, commemorating the 100th anniversary of its unveiling. The exhibition opens on Thursday June 16th and will continue through to the end of August.
The exhibition includes a unique map charting the addresses of hundreds of the 574 men listed on the name panels. It shows that some streets lost clusters of men – a poignant illustration of the devastating impact of the war on local families.
The impressive tower, unveiled in a dramatic ceremony on May 3rd 1922, was a project to permanently record the names of hundreds of men from within half a mile radius of the memorial, who died as a result of the war. The clock was paid for by a grief-stricken doctor whose only son was lost at the Battle of the Somme.
Presented by the Friends of Stockwell War Memorial & Gardens, the exhibition explores the extraordinary community effort that went into the construction of the memorial, as well as the emotions and motivations behind it. It also covers the building of the other buildings on the site: the Second World War rotunda, which is an entrance to a deep-level air raid shelter, and the origins and meaning of the Bronze Woman statue
The Friends of Stockwell War Memorial & Gardens hope that this fresh look at the memorial will prompt thoughts of its meaning and significance, not only as a place to remember those lost in war but also as somewhere to contemplate the possibility of hope and renewal under any circumstance.
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