Next year, Britain will celebrate the 100th anniversary since the outbreak of the First World War. A lot of preparations for the memorial celebrations are ongoing among them is restoration of the cenotaph monument which has stood there for about a century now as a sacrifice to the people who were killed during the war. It is one of the hundreds monument which will be cleaned up.
English Heritage has given €60,000, this money is planned to be used on cenotaph restoration. They are also funding other memorial monuments restoration across the country.
Simon Thurley, the chief executive of English Heritage said that the Cenotaph reminds many people about the people who died during the terrible events of the First World War all over the world. He added that they are honored to have been given the responsibility of making sure that the cenotaph is in good condition for commemorations. They are also working with Heritage Lottery Fund and War Memorials Trust to aid repair all over the country.
David Lloyd requested Edwin Lutyens to design the cenotaph. At first it was made of woods since David did not intend for the structure to be permanent but temporal. After completion there was a lot of enthusiasm towards it that it was decided that it should be made permanent. The wood structure was brought down and replaced with one which was made of stone form Portland. In the year 1920, George V. unveiled the cenotaph which had some writing engraved on it “The Glorious Dead”.
Many years have passed and the natural beauty of the stones had weathered and algae build on them. Expert are planning to use dry stem to kill any organic material that is living in the cenotaph and later apply a biocide and poultice to remove dirt.
100,000 monuments condition in the country has raised concern among many citizens which has led to The Sunday Telegraph steering up a campaign “Lest We Forget campaign” to reduce the destruction of the monuments. It calls for prosecution of any person who will be caught destroying the monument especially the scrap metal dealers. The campaign has received support all over Britain and people see it as part of the solution to protect the monuments.
War Memorial Trust director, Frances Moreton, said that they are encouraging people to get in touch with them to discuss projects that they are working on and give them ideas on how to repair and set regular maintenance programs . They are urging people who have knowledge about any monument in their area which needs repair to contact them via email or visit their office.
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