The Lawrence War Memorial and Peace Garden, constructed in 1924 and unveiled the following year, commemorate the loss of life of those people from the Lawrence and the wider districts who served their country in the South African War, World War One and World War Two.
In the early 1920s, the Lawrence and wider Tuapeka communities banded together to fund a memorial to commemorate the loss of those who had served their country, choosing a prominent site in Lawrence at the western edge of the town. The McKinlay family bought the land on which stood derelict the Commercial Hotel and neighbouring stables. The site was cleared, and a monument erected after fundraising by public subscription. The Tuapeka Fallen Soldiers Committee, of which J.B. McKinlay was president, organised the planning and construction of the memorial.
Designed by Dunedin architect Leslie Coombs, and built by A.E. Tilleyshort, the classically styled cupola-topped memorial shelters an obelisk inscribed with the names of those who lost their lives. The memorial is set within the Peace Garden, where a tree or shrub was planted for each soldier. On the corner, close to the main road, there is a flagpole where the flag is raised during Anzac Day services.
The paired columns beneath the memorial’s cupola rest on an octagonal base. Granite slabs mounted on the obelisk are inscribed with the names of those who died in the South African War, World War One, and World War Two. The inscription on the east face of the obelisk reads: ‘Erected by the people of Lawrence and the surrounding district in grateful remembrance of the men, who, at the call of duty, left all that was dear unto them, faced danger, endured hardship, and finally laid down their lives for their country in the great wars for righteousness and freedom.’ In relief, beneath the cornice, reads ‘1914-1919’ on the four faces of the monument. A stuccoed wall surrounds the garden. There are three gates into the garden – a pair in Art Nouveau style at the main entrance from Peel Street, a similar but smaller gate off Ross Place, and a single gate further south on Peel Street with an Art Deco sunburst motif.
In 2014, the Lawrence War Memorial and Peace Garden remains a prominent landmark in this small Clutha town.
In the early 1920s, the Lawrence and wider Tuapeka communities banded together to fund a memorial to commemorate the loss of those who had served their country, choosing a prominent site in Lawrence at the western edge of the town. The McKinlay family bought the land on which stood derelict the Commercial Hotel and neighbouring stables. The site was cleared, and a monument erected after fundraising by public subscription. The Tuapeka Fallen Soldiers Committee, of which J.B. McKinlay was president, organised the planning and construction of the memorial.
Designed by Dunedin architect Leslie Coombs, and built by A.E. Tilleyshort, the classically styled cupola-topped memorial shelters an obelisk inscribed with the names of those who lost their lives. The memorial is set within the Peace Garden, where a tree or shrub was planted for each soldier. On the corner, close to the main road, there is a flagpole where the flag is raised during Anzac Day services.
The paired columns beneath the memorial’s cupola rest on an octagonal base. Granite slabs mounted on the obelisk are inscribed with the names of those who died in the South African War, World War One, and World War Two. The inscription on the east face of the obelisk reads: ‘Erected by the people of Lawrence and the surrounding district in grateful remembrance of the men, who, at the call of duty, left all that was dear unto them, faced danger, endured hardship, and finally laid down their lives for their country in the great wars for righteousness and freedom.’ In relief, beneath the cornice, reads ‘1914-1919’ on the four faces of the monument. A stuccoed wall surrounds the garden. There are three gates into the garden – a pair in Art Nouveau style at the main entrance from Peel Street, a similar but smaller gate off Ross Place, and a single gate further south on Peel Street with an Art Deco sunburst motif.
In 2014, the Lawrence War Memorial and Peace Garden remains a prominent landmark in this small Clutha town.
War Memorial and Peace Garden, Lawrence. CC BY 3.0 Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org | mattinbgn | 22/11/2011 | mattinbgn - Wikimedia Commons
War Memorial and Peace Garden, Lawrence | Sarah Gallagher | 02/12/2020 | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
War Memorial and Peace Garden, Lawrence | Sarah Gallagher | 02/12/2020 | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
War Memorial and Peace Garden, Lawrence. CC BY 3.0 Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org | mattinbgn | 22/11/2011 | mattinbgn - Wikimedia Commons
War Memorial and Peace Garden, Lawrence | Sarah Gallagher | 02/12/2020 | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
War Memorial and Peace Garden, Lawrence | Sarah Gallagher | 02/12/2020 | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
