Grade II
War Memorial-inc memorial gardens & railings
Silk Street, Leigh
Description
War Memorial. 1922. By J C Prestwich.
The small park, now called Church St Gardens is adjacent to the main Post Office and bounded by Church St, Hope St, Silk St and Bond St.
After WW1 the bandstand was removed and replaced with Leigh Cenotaph which was unveiled on 1 November 1922 by Lt. General Sir Beauvoir de Lisle KCB KCMG DSO. It was rededicated on 20 May 1955 by John Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby.
The Cenotaph was designed by local architect James Caldwell Prestwich who also designed many other buildings in the town. Including Leigh Town Hall, Leigh Public Baths, Leigh Infirmary, Leigh Friendly Co-op Society, Leigh Union Workhouse and Leigh Technical School and Library.
Historic England made it a Grade 2 Listed structure on 18 October 1991. It lists 725 names from WW1 (1914-1919), 282 names from WW2 (1939-1945) and one name from the Yugoslav Wars (Bosnia) 1991-1999.
It was deemed at risk due to vandalism and damage due to subsidence so in 1999 it was restored and lighting installed in 1999 at a cost of £136,000.
Text by Graham Taylor
