Plymouth Naval Memorial

• Country United Kingdom
• Total identified casualties 23241 Find these casualties
• Region Devon
• Identified casualties from First & Second World War
• GPS Coordinates Latitude: 50.36573, Longitude: -4.14223

Location information

Location

Plymouth Naval Memorial is situated in Hoe Park, overlooking Plymouth Sound. It is approximately 0.9 miles (about a 21-minute walk) from Plymouth Railway Station, with a pleasant route through the city centre. Public transport options include bus stops on Hoe Road and the Barbican, served by multiple routes from across Plymouth. Taxis are also readily available from the station.

For visitors using public transport, Plymouth Citybus service 25 stops close to the memorial. Timetables and route details are available at https://www.plymouthbus.co.uk/services/PLYC/25

Visiting information

PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL

ARRIVAL AND PARKING

Pay and display parking is available along Hoe Road and in surrounding streets behind Hoe Park. From these areas, visitors approach the memorial via generally sloped pavements and pathways. For visitors requiring accessible parking, dedicated disabled spaces are located to the right of the memorial on Hoe Promenade.

Access to this area is through a Council-operated gated entrance. The ramped pedestrian route from Hoe Road into Hoe Promenade is excessively steep, and users may require the assistance of a companion.

SITE LAYOUT AND ACCESS

The memorial consists of two main sections. The upper memorial commemorates First World War casualties and features a large stone obelisk topped with a copper globe, set on a platform surrounded by steps.

The only accessible area within the memorial is the front entrance and the front-facing plaque for the First World War casualties. The remainder of the memorial, including access to the upper platform, circular pathways, and lower memorial for Second World War casualties, involves stepped access and is not suitable for wheelchair users or visitors with limited mobility.

The lower memorial, dedicated to Second World War casualties, is located behind and below the obelisk. It consists of a long curved wall with bronze panels listing the names of casualties. Access from the upper memorial is via two circular pathways with steps.

Gently sloped pathways from opposite sides of the memorial along Hoe Promenade, or from the park at the rear, provide alternative routes. However, these areas still include stepped access and are not fully accessible. Low-level walls and stone bench seating are provided along the paths and lower levels of the site for resting.

ALTERNATIVE ACCESS ROUTES

An open entrance at the rear of the memorial provides direct access to the lower section. However, this route also includes steps. There is currently no fully step-free route to the majority of the memorial.

ACCESSIBLE FACILITIES

Within walking distance of the memorial, the local authority provides accessible facilities, including a Changing Places Toilet, an accessible toilet, and unisex cubicles. Visitors should check current opening hours and locations with Plymouth City Council.

VISITOR INFORMATION

The memorial is permanently open to the public. Copies of the Memorial Registers are held at the Tourist Information Office, Island House, 9 The Barbican, Plymouth, PL1 2LS, and at the Naval Section of Plymouth Library.

Please note that some areas of the memorial and approach routes include steps and sloped pathways. Visitors with mobility needs may wish to take a companion or plan their route accordingly. A virtual tour is available for those who wish to explore the memorial online.

If you have any special access requirements or would like to make an enquiry regarding your visit, please contact us via enquiries@cwgc.org

History information

After the First World War, an appropriate way had to be found of commemorating those members of the Royal Navy who had no known grave, the majority of deaths having occurred at sea where no permanent memorial could be provided.

An Admiralty committee recommended that the three manning ports in Great Britain - Chatham, Plymouth and Portsmouth - should each have an identical memorial of unmistakable naval form, an obelisk, which would serve as a leading mark for shipping. The memorials were designed by Sir Robert Lorimer, who had already carried out a considerable amount of work for the Commission, with sculpture by Henry Poole. The Plymouth Naval Memorial was unveiled by HRH Prince George on 29 July 1924.

After the Second World War it was decided that the naval memorials should be extended to provide space for commemorating the naval dead without graves of that war, but since the three sites were dissimilar, a different architectural treatment was required for each. The architect for the Second World War extension at Plymouth was Sir Edward Maufe (who also designed the Air Forces memorial at Runnymede) and the additional sculpture was by Charles Wheeler and William McMillan. The Extension was unveiled by HRH Princess Margaret on 20 May 1954. A further unveiling took place on 11 November 1956, when panels 101 to 103 honouring those who died on shore, but who had no known grave, were unveiled by Admiral Sir Mark Pizey.

In addition to commemorating seamen of the Royal Navy who sailed from Plymouth, the First World War panels also bears the names of sailors from Australia and South Africa. The governments of the other Commonwealth nations chose to commemorate their dead elsewhere, for the most part on memorials in their home ports. After the Second World War, Canada and New Zealand again chose commemoration at home, but the memorial at Plymouth commemorates sailors from all other parts of the Commonwealth.

Plymouth Naval Memorial commemorates 7,251 sailors of the First World War and 15,933 of the Second World War.