| Promenade de Verdun War Memorial | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Type | War memorial |
| Location | Woodcote,Purley,London Borough of Croydon |
| Coordinates | 51°20′12″N0°08′10″W / 51.3367°N 0.136°W /51.3367; -0.136 |
| Built | 1922 |
| Official name | Promenade de Verdun Memorial Landscape |
| Designated | 18 February 2016 |
| Reference no. | 1431287 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Promenade de Verdun War Memorial |
| Designated | 18 February 2016 |
| Reference no. | 1431367 |
  Location of Promenade de Verdun War Memorial in Greater London | |
ThePromenade de Verdun War Memorial is aFirst World War memorial in the garden village of Woodcote,Purley, in theLondon Borough of Croydon, England. It was designed by a local surveyor, William Webb, who had laid out the garden village in the early 20th century. Webb determined on a memorial to the soldiers of France who were killed in theFirst World War; as a commemoration of their sacrifice, and as a means to foster good relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of France. The memorial consists of a 0.5 km boulevard, lined withLombardy poplars planted in 10 tonnes of soil brought from France, and culminating in a 6m highobelisk carved from Cornishgranite. The obelisk is inscribed; "AUX/ SOLDATS DE FRANCE/ MORTS GLORIEUSEMENT/ PENDANT LA GRAND GUERRE" and was unveiled in 1922. The stone is aGrade II listed structure and the setting is registered on theRegister of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
Woodcote Garden Village was laid out in the early 20th century by William Webb (1862–1930),[1] a surveyor and businessman from Kent. Webb bought the land in the 1890s and construction of the village took place between 1901 and 1920.[a][3] Work was interrupted by theFirst World War, and at its end, Webb determined on the establishment of a memorial to the soldiers of France who had died in the conflict. His joint aims were to honour the dead of Britain's greatest ally and to cement good relations between the two countries.[4] At the time of the memorial's construction, post-war relations between France and England were at a low ebb, due todifferences in approach as to how to extractwar reparations from their joint enemy, Germany.[5]
The memorial's name, Verdun, is taken from theBattle of Verdun, which took place on theWestern Front in France from 21 February to 18 December 1916 and was the longest engagement of theFirst World War. The French and the German armies each sustained over a third of a million casualties.[6] In 2016, to commemorate the centenary of the battle, the war memorial and its setting were among three in Britain recognising French sacrifice which were givenlisted building status.[b][7]
Many of the trees which line the avenue were destroyed in theGreat storm of 1987.Croydon London Borough Council, which owns and operates the site, has since undertaken replanting.[8][9]
Webb chose a slightly rising site for the memorial and laid out a 0.5 km boulevard which culminates in theobelisk carved from a single slab of Cornishgranite.[4] The road is lined with lined withLombardy poplars, to echo traditional French street planting, bedded in 10 tonnes of soil brought from France.[9] The soil, donated by the French government, came fromArmentières on the Franco-Belgian border. It was sifted prior to use and two sack loads ofshrapnel and bullets were extracted.[10] The memorial landscape is listed at Grade II on theRegister of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.[4] The obelisk is aGrade II listed structure. It carries the inscription: "AUX/ SOLDATS DE FRANCE/ MORTS GLORIEUSEMENT/ PENDANT LA GRAND GUERRE".[11]
