12/11/10 - War Memorial looking its best for Remembrance service

A full-scale clean of the stone-work of the 87-foot monument has been completed as part of a wider programme to improve the War Memorial Park. As part of the work, defective leading work was replaced and stone-work has also been re-pointed and repaired as necessary. The bulb at the top of the memorial has been changed to white at the request of services representatives and high level windows have been re-stained and new mastic sealant applied.

The improvement work is thought to be the largest ever undertaken on the whole monument since the War Memorial was built in 1927. Further work is planned including re-pointing and repairing the steps around the memorial but these will be started following this weekend's Remembrance Sunday service.

The work has been funded through a £2.8 million grant from the BIG and Heritage Lottery Funds from the Parks for People programme. Approximately thirty different projects will be carried out over the 121-acre park ranging from improvements to the quality of entrances and footpaths to creating a new Visitor Centre and restoring the ornamental rockery gardens and pools.

The Leamington Road car park has also been improved and re-surfaced as part of the work and will open for the Remembrance Sunday service.

Cllr Abdal Khan, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Sports and Libraries, is delighted with the finished work. He said: "The work – just like all of the improvement work around the park – is being completed in phases to ensure that

events such as the Remembrance Sunday service are unaffected.

"More than 400,000 people visit the War Memorial Park every year and the improvement programme will enhance people's visit to this wonderful amenity even more."