Memorial to Heroes of the Marine Engine Room

The Memorial to Heroes of the Marine Engine Room is a granite monument located on St. Nicholas Place, at the Pier Head, in Liverpool, England.

Memorial to Heroes of the Marine Engine Room

History

The memorial was intended originally to commemorate 32 engineers who lost their lives in the sinking of the Titanic on 15 April 1912.[1] Liverpool was the Titanic port of registry, as well as the home of the ship's owner, White Star Line. Construction was funded by international public subscription.[2]

Spaces were left on the momument to record the names of other engineers. However, due to the heavy loss of life throughout World War I, its dedication was broadened to include all maritime engine room fatalities incurred during the performance of duty.[1] Shrapnel damage from bombs that fell during the Second World War can be clearly seen on the monument.

Design
Two figures on the east face of the memorial representing stokers, one holding a shovel and the other a cleaning rag

Standing 48 feet (14.6 m) tall, the monument was designed by Sir William Goscombe John. It is constructed in the form of a granite obelisk standing on a square chamfered pedestal. The obelisk is topped with a gilded flame. Each of its bottom corners is decorated with carved representations of the four classical elements.[1][3]

The east and west side of the pedestal feature carved life-size sculptures of stokers and engineers. Pevsner describes these figures as "strikingly naturalistic" and are noted as focusing on working class heroism.[4] When the momument was designed, the use of manual labourers and workers was an uncommon subject in British public art and their inclusion by Goscombe John was considered innovative.[5][1] Historic England describe the memorial as having a considerable influence on the future design of war memorials, calling it "one of the most artistically significant memorials to the Titanic disaster on either side of the Atlantic".[1]

See also

References
  1. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1209973)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  2. Sharples, Joseph (2004), Liverpool, Pevsner Architectural Guides, London: Yale University Press, p. 72, ISBN 0300102585
  3. Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, London: Yale Univsersity Press, p. 333
  4. Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, London: Yale Univsersity Press, p. 100, ISBN 0300109105
  5. Benbough-Jackson, Mike; Davies, Sam (eds.), Merseyside: Culture and Place, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 160–161, ISBN 1443829641
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