History

The memorial was erected by public subscription on a site given by Sir Edward and Lady Pearson and was unveiled on Sunday 6 November 1921 by the Mayor of Hertford, Alderman James Burnett Smith MB, assisted by the High Steward of the Borough, the Marquess of Salisbury, KG, and the Archdeacon of St Albans, the Very Reverend The Hon Kenneth F Gibbs and the Reverend H R Cripps.

A number of buildings known as Parliament Row were demolished to provide a site for the memorial, which at the time became (reputably) the first traffic roundabout in Britain.

The memorial itself is built from the same Portland Stone as the Cenotaph. The architect for the memorial was Sir Aston Webb, PRA and Maurice Webb.

Sir Aston Webb was elected President of the Royal Academy in 1919, and was succeeded by Frank Dicksee in 1924. Sir Aston Webb was the architect of many well-known buildings, designing the eastern façade of Buckingham Palace, Admiralty Arch, and the Cromwell Road front of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The distinctive hart atop the memorial is used by many Hertfordshire organisations as a symbol of the county in publications or on web sites. The sculptor Alfred Drury, RA was born in London in 1856. An accomplished sculptor he executed many public commissions, including the statue of Reynolds in the courtyard of Burlington House, four bronze figures for Vauxhall Bridge, and decorative sculpture for Leeds City Square.

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