St Margaret's War Memorial, Oxford - Appeal & Restoration Home Page
'A memorial... patterned on the many shrines encountered by British troops in Flanders during the First World War...'

These pages contain information about the Appeal and Restoration/Conservation of the War Memorial, which commenced in November 2009.

The project was for the repair and restoration of the timber pillars and other woodwork, the refurbishment of the existing plaques, the replacement of the mineral felt roofing with more appropriate timber shingles, and the provision of an additional plaque to commemorate those who died in later conflicts.

Following the successful appeal (details below)
work on the restoration started on 1st August 2011.  
Work on the timberwork, stonework and roof was completed by Cliveden Conservation Ltd on 21st September.  
Work on the plaques was completed by Zahra Modern Art Foundries on 25th October.
The work was carried out under the supervision of the Church's architects: West Waddy ADP
A report [link to pdf ] was published in The War Memorial Trust's Bulletin 52 (Feb 2012)
This memorial is protected by Smartwater
                 
                     
   
The War Memorial restored


Click on lower image for detailed view

The War memorial was re-dedicated at a well attended ceremony on Armistice Day, Friday 11/11/11, followed by an Act of Remembrance.  Some 100 or so people attended, along with children from the Phil and Jim School, and members of the Cadet Corps and a Bugler from St Edward's School.


The following Sunday at the end of the 10.30 Service, a wreath laying and further Act of Remembrance was held.  
A piper played the lament Floors o' the Forest.

A display of archive material was held in the Church porch over the weekend.





The Appeal was part funded through the production of the book A Corner of North Oxford, the costs of which are included in the target figure below.  These costs were largely met through a generous grant and that grant is included in the grants received figure below.

Target for repairs, restoration and book production  £28,000.
Target achieved
28 June 2011!

We are delighted to report that after generous grants received from grant-making bodies, and the wide support and generosity of local residents, organisations and businesses and of the relatives and schools and colleges of some of those soldiers comemorated on our memorial, we have now reached our target and fund-raising for the repair and refurbishment of the memorial is complete.  Any further donations will be used for the future repair and maintenance of the memorial.
Oxford Mail article and photo - 8/7/11 
Many thanks to all our supporters.
Of the funds raised to date the proportions are
Donations, contributions received*  and proceeds from local events43.12%


cost of appeal including book production costs (expressed as a percentage of funds raised)
6.05%
cost of appeal excluding book production costs
1.68%

Grants received from and pledged by Trusts  and grant-making bodies 48.11%
Proceeds of book production

8.77%

*The donors include relatives of the fallen soldiers named on the memorial, residents of some of the houses in which they lived,
people, businesses and other organisations within the parish and otherwise connected to it.
Grade II Listing details


When making a donation or paying for copies of the book (see below),
cheques should be made in favour of 'St Margaret's War Memorial Appeal'
[This is a restricted fund from which money can only be spent on the Memorial and its appeal. In the event of a surplus of funds being raised, these will be held for
future maintenance and repair of the Memorial].
Our Companion Site:
Follow this link to the page on the Headington site which gives historical information about the War Memorial, including the names and background of the soldiers commemorated, who gave their lives in the Great War:
http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/stmargaret/index.html
Published October 2010:
A Corner of North Oxford: The Community at the Crossroads
An illustrated 88 page book about the history of this area,
by Catherine Robinson & Liz Wade.
The initial print run of 600 copies has now been sold out.
We are exploring the possibility of a further print run.		See book cover
  copies were sold at £5.00 plus £1.00 p&p - all proceeds to the Appeal
Further info about the book is available from:  St Margaret's War Memorial Appeal,
28 Polstead Road, OX2 6TN.  tel: 01865-556031 or email: elizabeth.wade@ntlworld.com 
Links
(latest first)
Oxford Times
19th December 2010
Book reveals a corner of history
Oxford Times Weekend edition
25th November 2010
A Corner of North Oxford
Sunday 14th November 2010
the Remembrance Day Service
Oxford Times - 15th November 2010
On Thursday 4th November 2010
an article by Alastair Lack was published in Oxford Times Limited Edition magazine supplied with the 4th November edition 
Donation and Gift Aid form
Trusts
We applied to numerous grant-making bodies and Trusts to complement donations and support
Grant applications made
Appeal poster
 (pdf file)
(Hi Res version)

The First World War Memorial of St Margaret’s Parish stands on the corner of Kingston Road and St Margaret’s Road in north Oxford, outside the Church.  It was patterned on the many shrines encountered by British troops in Flanders during the First World War, some of which were the only thing left standing amongst the ruins of war. The cast-iron figure of Jesus was made by Lucy’s Foundry in nearby Jericho.

Death Watch beetle had got into the base of the four pillars, which like the dome are made of oak, and the memorial was on the verge of collapse.

Donation Form (Word document)
The War Memorial, as supporting scaffolding was about to be erected

The War Memorial, as supporting scaffolding was being erected
This project is supported by:


Oxford City Council    Oxford Preservation Trustand others  OHCT

Many thanks for visiting our site.