The Vine's War Memorial Gets Its Shine Back Before Remembrance Sunday

The soldier who has stood watch over the Vine since 1920 has had a proper clean-up. Sevenoaks Town Council commissioned specialist firm Antique Bronze to carry out cleaning and restoration work on the Vine War Memorial, on Dartford Road, with the bulk of the job now finished in time for the town's Remembrance Service and Parade on Sunday 8 November - just some repainting of the inscribed lettering left to finish.

The Grade II listed memorial was sculpted by Arthur George Walker RA and shows a bronze soldier standing on a granite base, with relief panels on its north and south faces. The base and pedestal carry the names of 226 local men who died between 1914 and 1918. It was unveiled on 29 October 1920, when the council says thousands of people turned out at the Vine to pay their respects - almost exactly 106 years before this year's restoration was finished.

The work, which began in September after an extensive planning process, included surface cleaning, corrosion reduction, repatination, a protective coating and final finishing of the bronze. The team mixed the patination solution to match the finish of Walker's other well-known bronze, the Florence Nightingale statue in Waterloo Place, London - the same sculptor, the same hand, decades apart. “The surface is now stable and representative of the artist's intended finish,” said Lucy Branch, Director at Antique Bronze. “Many members of the public stopped to say how much they appreciated the work and valued the sculpture.”

The Mayor of Sevenoaks, Cllr Victoria Granville, said: “The Sevenoaks War Memorial holds a cherished place in our community, honouring the courage, service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces. This autumn's restoration has preserved the monument for future generations, ensuring that our community will continue to gather there for our annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations.” Kent County Councillor for Sevenoaks Town, Cllr Richard Streatfeild MBE, put some of his own member allowance towards the project. “It is a privilege to be in a position to contribute to one of the most important monuments in Sevenoaks,” he said. “One that symbolises our freedom and the sacrifice that was made for it.”

The Town Council is collecting knitted poppies for a display at the Vine ahead of the Remembrance Service. Anyone who would like to donate one can drop it off at the Town Council offices on Bradbourne Vale Road by Monday 2 November.

Source: Sevenoaks Town Council