The World War 1 memorial in Grove Park, dedicated to the men of the Borough of Weston-super-Mare, has been restored by Weston-super-Mare Town Council.

The war memorial, designed by Alfred Drury RA and erected in 1922, is listed by Historic England for its special, architectural and historic interest. It features a winged victory on top of a globe with her arms outstretched. In her right arm should have been an olive branch but this has been missing for a number of years.

Grants have been received for the work from the Grants for War Memorials scheme supported by the First World War Memorials Programme and Historic England, with contributions from North Somerset Council (who own the memorial) and from Weston Civic Society. Using historic photos of the memorial a new olive branch has been made, and the bronze plaques featuring the names of those who died have been cleaned by Richard Rogers Conservation.

Malcolm Nicholson, Town Clerk said ‘As this year marks 100 years since the end of World War 1, the Town Council felt it was important that we restore to it’s former glory this historic memorial, honouring the men of this town who gave their lives during the war.’

Frances Moreton, Director War Memorials Trust said, “War memorials are tangible connection to our shared past creating a link between the fallen and today. It is vital we ensure all of our war memorials are in the best possible condition for their age and the charity is delighted to support this project. The centenary of World War 1 is a wonderful opportunity for local communities across the country to protect and conserve their war memorials. If anyone knows of any other war memorials in need of help please contact us?

In addition the Second World War memorial in Grove Park has been cleaned by Justin Hill Conservation, who kindly donated their time to clean it in recognition of those who had died.