|
The War Shrine at North Stoneham, near Eastleigh in Hampshire was built in 1917 to commemorate the thirty-six men of North Stoneham parish who served and died in the Great War of 1914-1919. Later, it was neglected and vandalised, and by 1986 it was unroofed and derelict.
The Shrine was restored between 2008-2011. The programme began with an Act of Remembrance at the Shrine in November 2008, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the Armistice.
As well as painstakingly returning the Shrine to its original state using traditional craft skills, the project furthered the conservation of the historic parkland where the monument stands, and used the Shrine as a key to unlocking the history of the local landscape - through a series of public events, talks & walks, activities for schools, an exhibition, and publication.
The Shrine is sited on Cricketers Hill in North Stoneham Park, a former 1000-acre parkland designed by 'Capability' Brown in the eighteenth century. The Shrine is one of an identical pair, the other is at Havenstreet on the Isle of Wight.
The project was a joint initiative between Eastleigh Borough Council and The Willis Fleming Historical Trust. It was made possible thanks to an initial grant of £50,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and was further supported by Hampshire County Council, the Grants for War Memorials scheme, The Hampshire Gardens Trust, and several others.
|
