Summary

First World War memorial in the north-eastern corner of Victoria Park. Unveiled in 1921.

Description

Hackney Wick Great War Memorial stands in the north-eastern corner of Victoria Park, a Registered Historic Park and Garden (Grade II* listed). The memorial is constructed of Cornish granite and takes the form of a tapering obelisk on a square plinth. The obelisk and plinth stand on a two-stepped base. The base is a little over 1m square, and the memorial is approximately 3.5m in height. Metre high iron railings surround the memorial at a distance of 40cm.

The names and units of the fallen are inscribed on all four sides of the plinth and on two sides of the stepped base. On the east facing side is inscribed: TO THE MEMORY OF/ HACKNEY WICK MEN/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919. Below this are the names of 50 men: 40 on the plinth and a further 10 on the stepped base. The northern side of the plinth has the names of 55 men, with a further eight on the base. The southern side has the names of 54 men, with 54 names also inscribed on the western side.

In total the memorial bears the names of 221 Hackney Wick men.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 17 February 2017.

History

The idea for a Hackney Wick memorial was first conceived by the bereaved in the spring of 1918 and a committee was formed to raise the necessary funds. It was the people of the Hackney Wick area and its principal firms who raised the £200 needed to pay for the memorial's stone, carving and fixing.

In May 1920, Hackney Borough Council applied to the London County Council for permission to erect the memorial in Victoria Park (which is now within Tower Hamlets). Although a little isolated now, the memorial’s location was then very prominent, directly facing the park’s Station Gate which led to and from Victoria Park railway station. The station itself was eventually closed in 1943 and demolished in the late 1960s to make way for the East Cross Route.

A lively Council meeting in January 1921 saw a number of Hackney MPs raise concerns about erecting any more First World War memorials. The Labour MP, Councillor CJ Hogg, thought more should be done for the living ex-servicemen who were without work, food and shelter: “These men asked for bread, and they were given stone”.

The unveiling of the memorial, by Mr Horatio Bottomley MP on Saturday 12 March 1921, was witnessed by a crowd of several thousand. The accompanying service was presided over by Mr Theodore Chapman JP LCC, with local clergy in attendance.

Reasons for Listing

Hackney Wick Great War Memorial, situated in Victoria Park, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the First World War;
* Architectural interest: an elegant and well-proportioned obelisk;
* Group value: situated in Victoria Park (Grade II* listed).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q27087701

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback