Area will be temporarily fenced off while work is in progress
War memorials in Hull’s Paragon Square (Image: Hull City Council)
A specialist cleaning programme to restore Hull’s war memorials will begin next week. Hull City Council, in partnership with local contractor Fresh Memory Headstone Cleaning and Restoration Service, will carry out a delicate clean of the Paragon Square War Memorial and the Boer War Memorial, from Monday, July 13.
The work is expected to take approximately three weeks to complete. To ensure the contractor can work safely and efficiently, the memorials and surrounding seating area will be temporarily fenced off while the work is undertaken.
Due to the age and the delicate material the memorials are made from, only a gentle, non-abrasive conservation cleaning method will be used, which will help protect the stone and the engraved lettering for years to come. Cllr Mark Ieronimo, Hull cabinet portfolio holder for transport and infrastructure, said: “The war memorials in Paragon Square are not just historically significant but are a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who served their country.
“By carefully cleaning and restoring both the Paragon Square War Memorial and the Boer War Memorial, we are helping to ensure they continue to be a place of remembrance, reflection and respect for many years to come.” Joel Haigh, owner of Fresh Memory Headstone Cleaning and Restoration Service, said: “It is a real honour to be entrusted by Hull City Council with the conservation cleaning of these important war memorials.
“This project is especially personal to me. My Grandad, Len Wooldridge, landed on Sword Beach in the second wave on D-Day while serving with the Army Survey Regiment.
“He later returned to Normandy to pay his respects to those who never came home, and he taught our family the importance of remembrance and never forgetting those who made the ultimate sacrifice. That is why every memorial we work on is treated with the utmost care and respect.
“Every name tells a story, every inscription represents a life, and our responsibility is not to make these memorials look new, but to carefully conserve them so they continue to tell those stories for generations to come. We are proud to be working alongside Hull City Council to help preserve these memorials as lasting places of remembrance, reflection and respect for veterans, their families and the wider community.”
The council will also be working with the same company and a conservation architect from Seven Architecture Limited to develop a long-term plan for the cleaning and routine maintenance of these monuments. For more information, visit hull.gov.uk
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