The Cenotaph

This is a war memorial, not a cenotaph, because according to historian Terry-Mike Williams the "definition of cenotaph is an empty tomb", and this monument is not associated with any kind of tomb. It is a "statement of memory", which is now a Grade II* listed building. When Prestwich won the design competition for the monument on 16 January 1922, Alderman J. Houfe said of the council's decision: "there could be no question that the design stood out amongst the 80 sent in. The simplicity of the design added to the value". The original cost estimate was £5,000 (), and the council struggled to raise the funds. Councillor Sir Henry Fleming donated 100 guineas () towards the build. It was…

In 1923, The Westminster Gazette described the war memorial as "one of the finest in the country and worthy of the town". The structure is of Portland stone, and its lists of the fallen of the First and Second World Wars are inscribed on bronze plaques on the west and east sides. It is designed as a large obelisk on a low platform, surrounded closely by bollards, which originally formed a wide circle around the monument. It is ornamented with shallow relief carvings, in the modernist style. At the tops of all four sides of the obelisk a laurel wreath is carved. At the bases of the north and south sides are Harrogate's coat of arms, and on the east and west sides are Swords of Sacrifice.…