LEICESTER’S magnificent Arch of Remembrance will be looking its best for this weekend’s Service of Remembrance in Victoria Park.
The Grade I Listed Monument – which celebrates its centenary this year – has been carefully cleaned and restored by a team of conservation experts in time for Remembrance Sunday.
No harsh chemicals have been used in the cleaning process, but instead high-temperature, low-pressure steam has been used to gently clean the porous Portland stone on the two most weathered elevations, while repointing works have been carried out where necessary.
Decorative features have been re-gilded and the four painted stone flags carved into the archway – the Union Flag for the Army, the White Ensign for the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force Ensign, and the Red Ensign for the Merchant Navy – have been stripped back and repainted, replicating the original colours and processes used 100 years ago.
The conservation works were carried out at a cost of £120,000.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Since 1925, when the Arch of Remembrance was officially unveiled, the people of Leicester have gathered here to remember those who lost their lives while serving their country.
“Today, one hundred years later, the arch is looking as magnificent as ever, thanks to a programme of conservation works that have restored its weathered stone and faded surfaces.
“On Sunday (9 November), members of the armed forces, reservists, veterans and cadets will parade through the arch as part of Leicester’s annual Service of Remembrance.
“It was important that this iconic memorial looked its best for the occasion, especially in its centenary year, so I’m pleased that the works have been completed to such a high standard, as befits the arch’s Grade I Listed status.”
Leicester’s Arch of Remembrance was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) – the leading English architect of his generation.
It was commissioned as a memorial to those who had lost their lives in the First World War at a cost of more than £27,000.
A grand opening ceremony took place on 4 July 1925, when two mothers who between them had lost seven sons in the war – Elizabeth Butler and Annie Glover – unveiled the arch.
More than 100 years later, Janet Irons and Maureen Hill, the granddaughters of those two bereaved mothers, will stand at the same spot and lay wreaths at the arch as part of Sunday’s commemorations.
All are welcome to attend Leicester’s Service of Remembrance, which takes place at the Arch of Remembrance in Victoria Park on Sunday (9 November) at 10.45am.
There will be a special poignancy to Sunday’s service, as this year marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
To allow the event to take place, Granville Road car park will be closed from midnight on Saturday (8 November) until around 1pm on Sunday (9 November) and drivers are reminded that vehicles should not be left in the car park overnight.
Road closures will be in operation on both Granville Road and Regent Road from 9am until 1pm on Sunday. Parking restrictions will also be in place.