£25,000 to fix tilting memorial

10:20pm Tuesday 2nd September 2008

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HIGH Wycombe's listing war memorial is to be given a £25,000 overhaul in a bid to get it standing straight.

The memorial, which sits in the grounds of All Saints Parish Church, has begun tilting and is in danger of completely toppling over.

Members of the High Wycombe Town Committee agreed tonight to spend £25,000 from the council's special expenses budget to straighten the wayward memorial.

In November 2007, a survey of the structure was carried out to find out why it was tilting, which was followed up by further investigations and monitoring.

Design consultants PCDS, who carried out the survey, found more than they bargained for however, as they also found evidence of a tomb underneath it.

The committee was given three solutions by PCDS to curb the memorial's slant, which included dismantling it all together and building a new base for it.

But the discovery of the tomb hindered this plan of action as it was deemed a “very high risk” option.

The second proposal involved underpinning the structure, and although a cheaper solution that would prevent further movement, it would not reverse the tilt.

Instead members agreed unanimously to carry out a combination of underpinning and straightening to reverse the tilt and help prevent the memorial moving any further.

Councillor Ray Farmer thought it could do with a spruce up while it was being straightened.

He said: “I belive that option three is probably the best option but will this include the cleaning of the memorial?

“Just recently the one down at Wycombe Marsh was cleaned and it does look a lot better.”

Wycombe District Council officer, Sarah Randall, said the structure was due a clean soon.

Before work on the memorial can start the committee's decision must be agreed by the council's full cabinet, and the church.

A contractor to carry out the straightening will then be sought through tendering.