Restoring a ruined City church to honour London’s wartime citizens
The Citizens’ Memorial aims to transform the ruined City church of Christ Church, Greyfriars, and give it a new purpose – the creation of a memorial of national significance to commemorate the heroism and sacrifice of the citizens of London during the Second World War, and in subsequent bombings.
The proposal was initiated by designer Ian Heron in consultation with City guide-lecturers, historians and architects. You are invited to browse our website and consider whether you would like to see such a proposal realised – it’s at an early stage, and needs your ideas and input.
The main points of the proposal
- Giving Christ Church a meaningful purpose and thoughtful restoration
The Christ Church site has for too long been an unsightly and unacceptable ruin in the heart of the City.
- Honouring the citizens of London
The City lacks a significant memorial to honour the fortitude and sacrifice of the London’s wartime generation – they served their country no less than the armed services, but theirs is the ‘missing memorial’.
- Restoring the walls to Sir Christopher Wren’s design
The walls of the church and the bay adjacent to the east wall, meticulously restored to Wren’s design, would create the perfect memorial – dignified, eloquent, and unostentatious.
- Creating an urban sanctuary for today’s citizens
Restoring the walls for the Memorial would also transform the garden into a peaceful sanctuary, and other design improvements would make it more welcoming, comfortable, and enjoyable.
- Offering Londoners a unique opportunity
The street pavement at King Edward Street is aligned inside the church site itself, so could become a walkway through the Memorial, allowing pedestrians the unique experience of passing through a sacred space as part of an everyday journey.
Essential information
The site is owned by the City of London, whose Planning Officer has examined the scheme. He has described it as sincere and thoughtful, and would give it further consideration if funding can be obtained from sources other than the City authority. Recently, the proposal has been enthusiastically received by the senior Member of the local Ward. The next step is to obtain the City’s commitment for the use of the site for the Memorial purpose. This would be a precondition to establishing a charity, so that funds can be sought from benefactors and the public.
A top firm of Quantity Surveyors specialising in historic buildings has provided a cost estimate of the current scheme, and their estimate compares favourably with the £4 million which the City recently spent on restoring the Monument to the Great Fire of London. A figure in this vicinity would surely not be an unreasonable sum to raise.
The Citizens’ Memorial can be realised with your support. The City having declared itself open to the proposal, we now invite the support of individuals, businesses and City institutions, and Members of the City of London itself. If you would like to share your ideas about it, please consider the following options:
- Leave your comment or endorsement on this site, and let your friends know about the proposal by forwarding the link.
- Visit Andrew Woodall’s article ‘The Missing Memorial’ on his blog All the Days and Nights
- Write to Department of Planning and Transportation, City of London, PO Box 270, Guildhall, London EC2P 2EJ
Please lend your support to The Citizens’ Memorial!
The Citizens' Memorial 