Waterloo War Memorial.

The Waterloo War Memorial at Bispham Hall is Grade-II listed.

The memorial was erected in 1816 by brothers Robert and John Holt to commemorate the 1815 victory at Waterloo. The monument comprises an ashlar obelisk, topped by a ball finial, surmounting a square plinth. The plinth has rebated inscription panels.

War Memorial Trust offered to fund 75% of the repair work costs and all associated professional fees. The remainder costs were funded by the Waterloo Monument Group. The funding offered ensured the project was a viable option.

Concerns were raised as a result of the monument ‘leaning’: deformation was clearly visible in the top two thirds of the obelisk. Previous investigations had suggested that an iron rod was embedded within the centre of the obelisk, fixing the ball finial in place, but this was unconfirmed.

The sandstone monument consists of an obelisk, capped with a ball finial on an inscribed stone plinth. The deformation to the top third of the monument was evident. However, what was apparent from visual inspection was that the wrought-iron cramps used to secure the stones had corroded, causing cracks in the masonry. The cramps had also jacked the course joints open, causing distortion throughout, which threatened the stability of the whole monument. Therefore, the corroding cramps embedded within the structure were identified as the source of the deformation and damage to the stone.

We needed to address the underlying issue and secure the long-term conservation of the monument. To do so, we needed to dismantle the monument, remove the corroded cramps, and rebuild it with new ones.

A large indent repair was required at the base of the monument to replace an irregularly shaped cement mortar panel. A square indent would have required a substantial section of sound stone and inscription to be removed. A smaller indent and proprietary
mortar mix was specified so that the minimum amount of historic fabric would be lost.

The corroded cramps were replaced with austenitic stainless-steel cramps, set with poured lead. Other options were considered to set the cramps, but the more authentic repair using poured-lead fixings was preferred by the client.