Summary
A First World War clock tower memorial, with added names from Second World War, the Malaysian Emergency and the Falklands Conflict.
Description
A First World War clock tower memorial, with added names from Second World War, the Malaysian Emergency and the Falklands Conflict.
MATERIALS: painted limestone with bronze plaques.
DESCRIPTION: a tall square tower with Roman Ionic corner pilasters supporting a deep entablature, set on a low pedestal and crowned by a block with a round clock face on each side and a ball finial.
Inscribed into the front face of the pedestal is MAY JUSTICE MERCY & PEACE/ PREVAIL AMONG THE NATIONS. There are two further bronze plaques on the pedestal, the first of which reads FOR YOUR TOMORROW WE/ GAVE OUR TODAY. AT/ THE GOING DOWN OF THE/ SUN AND IN THE MORNING/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM. The second reads IN HONOURED MEMORY TO/ LOCAL SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR/ FREEDOM AND PEACE IN/ THE GREAT WAR 1914-18./ SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-45./ MALAYA 1950 AND FALKLAND 1982.
The memorial is set within a paved area in front of the municipal buildings in Civic Square.
History
The aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
This war memorial was unveiled on 10 November 1934. It was built around the same time as the new civic buildings: the council offices and public library. The clock tower was clearly part of the masterplan, and designed as a contextual response to the prevailing townscape character. It commemorates 156 local servicemen who died during the First World War. Names have later been added to commemorate the fallen of the Second World War, one from Malaya 1950 and one from the Falklands Conflict (1982). The First and Second World War names are grouped by the Royal Navy and Mercantile, Military and Royal Air Force.
The four flagstaffs at the corners and low iron railings were added in the late C20. The memorial underwent some repairs in 2014.
Reasons for Listing
Tilbury Clock Tower War Memorial 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 local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest
* as a high quality design, monumental in scale, and a central feature of the masterplan for the area in the 1930s.
External Links
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
Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
[(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)