BATTLE OF BRITAIN MONUMENT. WHITE CLIFFS, DOVER.
MAJOR NATIONAL MONUMENT TO COMMEMORATE ONE OF THE HISTORIC BATTLES IN BRITAIN’S HISTORY.
LOCATION: WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER
CLIENT: BATTLE OF BRITAIN MEMORIAL TRUST
YEAR: 1993
MATERIAL: STONE – CHALK CLIFF
PATRON: HRH THE QUEEN MOTHER
LEAD ARTIST: HARRY GRAY
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: JAMIE BUCHANAN
ARCHITECT: JOHN KEMPSTER ARCHITECTS DESIGN PARTNERSHIP
STONE WORK: THE CARVING WORKSHOP
LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR: LANDSCAPE PLUS
LOCATION: WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER
CLIENT: BATTLE OF BRITAIN MEMORIAL TRUST
YEAR: 1993
MATERIAL: STONE – CHALK CLIFF
PATRON: HRH THE QUEEN MOTHER
LEAD ARTIST: HARRY GRAY
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: JAMIE BUCHANAN
ARCHITECT: JOHN KEMPSTER ARCHITECTS DESIGN PARTNERSHIP
STONE WORK: THE CARVING WORKSHOP
LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR: LANDSCAPE PLUS
In a limited competition Harry Gray and Jamie Buchanan’s design was chosen to be the National monument to one of the pivotal battles in Britain’s History.
In a deliberate break with the tradition of many war monuments of the past, Harry Gray chose a seated lone figure in a pose that is contemplative rather than triumphant and without visible rank. The viewer is invited to engage with the figure and imagine their own interpretation.
Jamie Buchanan’s imaginative concept was to centre the figure within a giant spitfire propeller cut from the famous white cliffs near Dover. This provides both a link to earlier English chalk art such as the white horse at Uffington and is a permanent striking land mark that will be visible to generations of future pilots.
In a deliberate break with the tradition of many war monuments of the past, Harry Gray chose a seated lone figure in a pose that is contemplative rather than triumphant and without visible rank. The viewer is invited to engage with the figure and imagine their own interpretation.
Jamie Buchanan’s imaginative concept was to centre the figure within a giant spitfire propeller cut from the famous white cliffs near Dover. This provides both a link to earlier English chalk art such as the white horse at Uffington and is a permanent striking land mark that will be visible to generations of future pilots.