Cenotaph, London

London Cenotaph


The Cenotaph in London is located in Whitehall, London. It is one of many cenotaphs erected around the world as a tomb or monument in honour of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere. A tomb of a person who has since been interred elsewhere is also called cenotaph, which is a word that comes from Greek, kenos meaning "empty" and taphos meaning "tomb". Most of the cenotaphs in the British Empire were erected in honour of those who died in World War I and II. The cenotaph at Whitehall, London, is probably the best known in the modern world. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who conceived the idea from the name of a structure in Gertrude Jekyll's garden. It was constructed from Portland stone between 1919 and 1920 to replace Lutyen's earlier copy in wood and plaster built in 1919 for the Allied Victory Parade. Today the Cenotaph is a Grade I listed building.

The Cenotaph is plain except for a carved wreath on each end and the words "The Glorious Dead", which was chosen by Rudyard Kipling. The sides are not parallel, but tilted in slightly. If extended, these sides would meet some 1 mile above ground. Similarly, the horizontal surface is not really horizontal, but rather, curved, like that of a gigantic sphere whose centre is 900 feet below ground.

Lutyen had wanted the various flags of the United Kingdom carved onto the cenotaph. However, his idea was overruled, and instead cloth flags were raised on each sides of the memorial. Originally, the flags displayed were a Union Flag, a While Ensign and a Red Ensign on one side, while on the other, was a Union Flag, a White Ensign and a Blue Ensign. On 1 April, 1943, the RAF Ensign replaced the While Ensign on the west side. As of 2007, the flags displayed are the Royal Navy, the British Army, the Royal Air Force and the Merchant Navy flags.

Every year, on the closest Sunday to 11 November, the annual national service of remembrance is held at the Cenotaph, at 11:00am.

Getting there

Take the London Underground to the Westminster Tube Station and walk a short distance from there.

London Cenotaph

The Cenotaph on Google Street View

(Jun 2022)

The London Cenotaph is on the Map of British Cenotaphs

List of British Cenotaphs

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