Those of you who know me will be aware of my respect and interest in one of Britain’s greatest architects, and a leading proponent of the Arts and Crafts Movement. He happened to grow up in the area of Surrey I live in. As far as I was aware, Mark had no link to Surrey. He grew up in Bournemouth. Yet, through his architecture, Lutyens has connected both our stories across time and place.
It’s a little like travelling all around the world and sitting on a Lutyens’-designed Thakeham bench. Not many people know the significance of what they are sitting on.
While Lutyens was working on Castle Drogo, his client, Sir Alfred Mond, introduced him to the newly formed Imperial War Graves Commission. The Commission appointed Lutyens, together with Sir Herbert Baker, Sir Reginald Blomfield and Charles Holden, to design cemeteries and memorials commemorating the war dead. For Lutyens, these structures included the Cenotaph in Whitehall, the War Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval in France, and the Arras Memorial.
Despite its enormous scale, the programme was completed within its allocated budget.
Portland stone was used for the headstones, redolent of England, and London in particular, incongruous to the muddy backdrop of destruction. There are rows, upon rows of identical headstones. In the end, everyone is the same, regardless of rank or class.
The memorials were not all the same, however. This was about true care and craftsmanship, from carvings to ironwork, taking inspiration and context geographically from the chalk, clay and stone that surrounded the battlefields. A mix of classical and Arts & Crafts styling left room for symbolism, which played an important role, with stone pergolas, lych gates and summerhouses recreating the English garden idyll, alongside Grecian pavilions, arches and columns.
No two cemeteries are the same, although the requirement was that there would be a central feature, which was often a “War Cross” designed by Blomfield or a “Stone of Remembrance” by Lutyens.
The Stone of Remembrance was described by Lutyens as a “great altar stone”, symbolic of common sacrifice. His design incorporated classic Greek mathematical principles, and is inscribed with words chosen by Rudyard Kipling, from Ecclesiasticus in the King James Version of The Bible: “Their name liveth for evermore”.
The architecture and design of the war memorials, overseen by the Imperial War Graves Commission, brought peace and unity. It brought connection to land and place. And that connection is still evident when we join the dots of one architect’s work, whether it be a country home, a war memorial or a humble bench.
Great architecture is about more than beautiful buildings. It's about the stories they tell. If you'd like to uncover the history of your own period home and discover how its past can inspire sensitive, thoughtful interiors, find out more about
History at Home, my bespoke research service. Or explore more articles in the Journal celebrating the history, architecture and craftsmanship behind Britain's remarkable homes.
