QE11 Memorial and Garden of Remembrance.

Mal · Saturday at 09:41

Well we have finally got the upgrades to the Garden of Remembrance at West Lea Cemetery done and the new QE11 Memorial Path.

It’s taken some time but finally we have something we can all be proud of.

It’s about tackling a problem by bringing in the right team, trusting them and letting them do what they do best!

This new QE11 Memorial Arch has some underlying significance to Bedlington.

Firstly I make all my ‘stuff’ in metal as homage to the world famous Bedlington Iron Works 1736-1867.

Secondly if you look you will see the arch is outlined by two tubular bars or rails across its length. These pay tribute to John Birkenshaw who invented the malleable steel rails the world came to use for rail tracks. Previously they were made from wrought iron which was too small and too fragile for that use being only 3 feet long Birkenshaw’s were 19 feet long by comparison and incidentally the first rail lines laid in Russia!

Next we come to the steam train. Not just any steam train but a scaled version of the De Arned which was the first steam train exported to Holland built in Bedlington. It’s the one I used for the gateway feature at Attlee Park, after getting permission from the national Dutch railway museum to use their full sized replica as a template . We also built the Bayard steam train which went to Italy as well as a host of other steam trains. Interestingly a Bedlington steam train boiler is reputedly in the Smithsonian in America.

Of course we couldn’t miss out the world famous Bedlington Terrier which originated here. Originally bred to hunt badgers and game. Again that’s what I used to develop the seats we make which are scattered around the Town and the large one which is the southern gateway feature coming into the Town. When I did that one it caused a bit of consternation amongst some locals but I said people will come from all over to have their picture taken next to it and they have, as far away as Australia and Canada!

Lastly we see a rose and it’s not just attributed to Queen Elizabeth as the quintessential English rose. This also represents the Bedlington Rose, a variety specifically developed for Wansbeck District Council but which has now all but disappeared. In fact the last bed I know of is in Bedlington so I’m calling it the Bedlington Rose!

The pathway itself which we can walk on to see the rest of the installation was actually quite overgrown with weeds and vegetation along both sides. You couldn’t even see the stone wall for large stretches and the single track was just what walkers had flattened down. It was scraped back, treated, hard-core laid and then fine gravel so we now have a much wider usable path.

All in all a fitting tribute to our late Queen.

The Garden of Remembrance was somewhere I have wanted to sort out for some time. Previously it was encompassed with overgrown hedging, broken paving, burnt out litter bin and a broken seat. A dark and dingy place which was really just used for nefarious activities. We now have an open aspect, new hooped metal fencing, new entrance arch (which by the way transforms at certain times of the day from the black arch we see into a shining golden arch!), new bespoke seats, new tarmacked surface, new retaining walls, a bust of Queen Elizabeth mounted on a sandstone memorial plinth and fantastic new planting at the back end.

Thanks go to:

Firstly thanks have to go to the Leader of NCC who must have become that sick of my constant arguing for a QE11 Memorial scheme for Bedlington that he told me to go away and come up with a scheme and he would consider it. So I did just that!

After coming up with some designs and ideas I went and saw Chris and Mike at Barrington Metal Works because they turn my very rough drafts and ideas into workable and deliverable products. Not only that they also took on the installation works for much of it.

Next I had to get permission off the cemetery management officers. Tony and Stephen agreed and Stephen even suggested expanding on my initial ideas for the Garden of Remembrance so we might get the back path done at the same time. He also sorted out the planting and the main preparation works so huge thanks to him and the lads who did the work.

Also thanks to the Friends of West Lea Cemetery group who made a significant contribution to the planting scheme.

Of course things don’t go smoothly but with a sustained effort and everyone pulling together we managed to pull the whole project off.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/restoration-bedlingtons-garden-remembrance-hailed-30705914?fbclid=IwY2xjawHl3MRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZ81xblU3F1xe3CqBHdvb2mB3-pLqjYk-MffOsMbtONDKW9x3z4MAL8SrA_aem_chW2-l6eCHTfTri_-CTn3w