Friday 12 Nov 2010
WAR MEMORIAL RESTORED IN TIME FOR REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
- Region & Route:
Bronze plaques from the railway war memorial on Midland Road in Derby which were targeted by thieves will be replaced and secured in time for Remembrance Sunday.
In August the plaques, which listed the names of the Midland Railway staff who fell in the First World War, were loosened from the memorial and two were stolen, although later recovered. A decision was made to keep the plaques in storage until they could be securely fastened back in place. Unfortunately the poor weather this week has delayed the work slightly, meaning they could not be replaced by 11/11 as hoped.
Fiona Taylor, route director for Network Rail, said “It was extremely upsetting that this memorial was targeted by thieves twice in recent history. While we wanted to restore the plaques quickly it was also important to make sure they were as secure as possible to deter such mindless vandalism in the future.”
Andy Savage, executive director of the Railway Heritage Trust, added: “The Railway Heritage Trust supports the restoration of listed buildings and structures across the national railway system, and has always given particular attention to memorials. We were greatly saddened when the memorial was attacked, and are proud to have been able to support its restoration”
Notes to editors
The Midland Railway War Memorial on Midland Road near to Derby Railway Station, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and constructed in 1921 and is Grade II* listed. It was provided by the Midland Railway Company following the First World War, in recognition of their employees who had served or died in the war. A rededication service will be held in due course.
The restoration costs were split between Network Rail and the Railway Heritage Trust.
The Railway Heritage Trust is a Company Limited by Guarantee, which aims to:
• encourage the conservation and enhancement of railway buildings and structures which are listed or scheduled and are of special architectural or historic interest, and;
• act as a catalyst between outside parties and owners in the conservation and alternative use of non-operational property, including the possible transfer of responsibility to local trusts or other interested organisations.
The Trust awards grants to a value of some £2 million a year to achieve these objectives.
For further details or pictures, please contact the Trust at rht@railwayheritagetrust.co.uk or call it on 07802 597447.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office -London North Eastern & East Midlands route
01904 383180
mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk