New Zealand War Memorial - London

The new New Zealand War Memorial was unveiled and dedicated by the Queen and the New Zealand Prime Minister on 11 November this year. Its located on the large area at Hyde Park Corner between Hyde and Green Park’s. This is where the Wellington Arch and the striking Australian War memorial already are and the NZ Memorial is in the northeast corner, basicially at the bottom of Park Lane.

The memorial is called The Southern Stand and is made up of 16 large bronze ’standards’, crossed shaped pieces of different sizes weighing up to 700kg each and some 4.5 metres long, set in the ground at an angle and all facing south. Some have been set in the path going round that part of the area, some in a grassy bank, six of which make up the shape of the Southern Cross.

Each standard has text and a sculptured image representing reflecting New Zealand and the tops have LED lights lighting up the shape of the cross. It’s the work of architect John Hardwick-Smith and sculptor Paul Dibble who won a design competition that started five years ago. The pieces were built at a studio in Palmerston North on New Zealand’s north island and shipped to London by sea.
It should provide a focal point in London for Anzac Day and Waitangi Day celebrations for New Zealanders.

Its maybe not as visually striking as the Australian Memorial, about 70 yards away on the other side of the Wellington Arch, but I guess the thing with this memorial is you can walk through and around it, get up really close and see it from various angles not just front on.

Its in a good location in London, Hyde Park Corner’s a busy intersection but the site itself is quite large, the NZ Memorial’s in its own corner and going there’s not going to take people out of their way too much, its a big crossroads to many parts of the West End. Map