War Memorial

In 1919 Chester City Council formed the Chester War Memorial Committee to make recommendations for a memorial to those lost in the First World War. Some schemes for public and social improvement were suggested, but these were considered to be too expensive. William Beswick, the son of the county architect, was asked to prepare two designs, without a fee: one to stand outside the Town Hall, the other outside the King's School. Both were accepted by the committee. Another idea was to reconstruct the medieval Chester Cross. The King's School rejected the plan for the memorial on their site, and the other two plans were rejected by the City Council. Following the Second World War, a further…

The monument is constructed in red sandstone from a quarry in Delamere, matching the exterior stone of the cathedral. It stands about 9.75 m high. Around the plinth are niches in the Gothic style containing the figures of six saints who are identified as follows: Werburgh, the patron saint of Chester; George, the patron saint of England; Maurice, a warrior saint who represents the infantry; Alban, a soldier and the first British martyr; David, the patron saint of Wales (many of Chester's inhabitants are from Wales) and Michael, the Biblical archangel who overthrew Satan. As of 2012 its condition is described as being "generally good but with minor damage to the figures".