I've just come across this 10 year-old report of the then-future of Wednesbury's Boer War memorial. Have to admit that I knew nothing about it on the couple of occasions I was in Wednesbury 2-3 years ago, I wasn't even aware that there
was a Boer War memorial in Wednesbury other than the marble tablet in the Museum & Art Gallery. Can anyone shed any light on what happened?
1.3 As part of the development proposal a new Morrisons Food Store is proposed along the Holyhead Road frontage. The siting of the store will result in the need to relocate what remains of a wall, locally referred to as the Boer War Memorial (see appendix 1).
1.4 The memorial is currently located on Holyhead Road adjacent to the Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery. The memorial was funded by public subscription in 1904.
1.5 What remains of the memorial on the road frontage is in a very poor state of repair and no maintenance is carried out. The memorial has no formal ‘Listing’ and is in fact in two parts; the actual memorial is in the form of marble tablet, which is inscribed with the names of those locals who served in the Boer War. This can be found in the Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery. However, much local sentiment is attached to the remains of a wall structure that contains a sandstone inscription on the Holyhead Road frontage, which is considered locally as the Boer War Memorial.
1.6 Given the poor quality of the remains of the wall, Morrisons propose to replicate the memorial and relocate it in a more prominent location within the development site. The new memorial will form part of the developers’ contribution to public art for the overall scheme and will also ensure that an ongoing maintenance plan is provided for the new memorial.
1.7 The design of the new memorial will be a matter for further discussion as part of the planning application process between Morrisons’ Architects, the Planning Division and other interested parties.
1.8 The preferred location for the new memorial to be sited as a focal point, is at the head of the Shambles (see appendix 1). This is considered to be a highly visible corner of the site, along a key pedestrian connection linking the heart of the town centre.
cmis.sandwell.gov.uk/cmis5/Document.ashx...G1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3D
