Summary

War memorial, commemorating the employees of Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI) who fell during the Second World War. It was erected in 1949 to designs by Gilbert Bayes RBS (Sculptor) and plaques were produced by Morris Singer and Company Limited (Foundry).

Description

War memorial, commemorating the employees of Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI) who fell during the Second World War. It was erected in 1949 to designs by Gilbert Bayes RBS (Sculptor) and plaques were produced by Morris Singer and Company Limited (Foundry).

MATERIALS: Portland stone with four bronze plaques, a granite base and pedestal, and a low-stepped paving slab plinth.

PLAN: rectangular, faces NE towards Station Road.

The memorial comprises a 4.26m tall cenotaph in an Art Nouveau style, mounted on a low stepped plinth. The top of the shaft is formed by a stylised tomb set on a plinth with a carved garland, supported by inverted consul bracket ends. The ICI logo flanked by swags is carved in half-relief towards the top of the front and rear faces of the shaft, with the dates 1939-1945 inscribed further down on the front face and BILLINGHAM on the rear. The four bronze plaques have lettering raised in Roman capitals; the front plaque reads: 1939 1945 / IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES / LIMITED / TO THE PROUD MEMORY / OF THE EMPLOYEES OF BILLINGHAM / WHO LOST THEIR LIVES / IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR, with a wreath in relief. The plaque on the rear records 88 names in three columns, while the right side plaque records 56 names, and the left plaque, 57 names.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 7 February 2017.

History

The Imperial Chemical Industries Limited (ICI) Billingham War Memorial stands within a Garden of Remembrance. It was created as a memorial to the employees from the town, who fell during the Second World War. The memorial was originally erected in 1949 outside of Chilton House, the ICI offices on Chilton Avenue. It was unveiled on Sunday 3 July by the chairman of ICI Lord McGowan, and was dedicated by Reverend W M Wykes, Rector of Sedgefield. Following the closure of Chilton House, the memorial suffered from vandalism and was consequently removed, cleaned and re-erected in the Garden of Remembrance, and was re-dedicated on Armistice Day 10 November 1996.

Reasons for Listing

ICI War Memorial, Billingham, erected 1949 and re-erected 1996, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the employees of Imperial Chemical Industries, and the sacrifice made during the Second World War;

* Architectural interest: a well-executed and elegant Portland stone cenotaph, designed by the eminent architectural sculptor Gilbert William Bayes;

* Group value: the memorial benefits from a spatial and functional group value with the adjacent Billingham war memorial.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478071

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

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  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)