From Monday 3rd September the second phase of improvements to the Poole Park War Memorials will start. The Borough of Poole Street Scene external works team won the competitive tender and will be undertaking the following improvements to improve accessibility and the landscaping quality:
- New entrance from Parkstone Road that will allow pedestrians to enter the park on a gently sloping path instead of the current steps through the memorial gates (currently off-site being restored)
- The new path will lead to the Rose bed planter that contains the Mountbatten and Burma Star memorials. The steps at the top and bottom shall be removed and a new graded path of sawn Purbeck stone installed.
- The coping stones along the rose bed removed and replaced by new flat coping
- New soil and roses planted and irrigation systems
- In the War Memorial garden around the cross, Purbeck stone paving will be laid to replace the current concrete paving slabs, along with new steps to the lagoon-side of the cross.
Safety fencing will be erected around the working site and to protect nearby trees. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times around the War Memorials, but not through the garden or to the rose bed for the duration of the works. Other localised closures may be in place at other times. Vehicle access will remain unaffected.
These works are funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund which is the result of money raised by National Lottery players; and by the War Memorial Trust for specific restoration elements. Information and archive images will be added to the safety fences to explain the works and the War Memorial history. These works begin the latest phase of construction works of the Poole Park Life project, with extensive landscaping to freshwater lakes and improvements to the lagoon, plus a new bridge over sluice channel all taking place this winter, please explore the website to find out more.
The works will complete in time for this year’s Remembrance Day on 11th November 2018 and the annual parade. With the commemoration of the end of WWI there will also be other related events both in Poole Park and across the Borough, please look out for more details nearer the time. If you would like to be involved in helping at events or have any information on those that served from the local area, or links to Poole Park’s war time history we would love to hear from you, e-mail m.whitchurch@poole.gov.uk