Horse Guards Parade · Westminster · 2025
Condition survey of a Grade II* listed memorial fountain by Lutyens.
Sir Edwin Lutyens’s memorial to the Royal Naval Division, on the edge of Horse Guards Parade. Heritage Unlimited inspected the stonework, basins and inscriptions, tested the fountain for leaks, and set out a conservation-led programme of repair and maintenance.
The Royal Naval Division War Memorial stands at the corner of the Old Admiralty Building on Horse Guards Parade. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled in 1925, it is a Portland stone obelisk rising from two round fountain basins, carved with lion-head spouts, unit badges, battle honours and lines by Rupert Brooke. It is listed at Grade II*.
A routine check of the fountain’s mechanical services had noted erosion and loose leadwork that it was not qualified to assess, and recommended a heritage consultant. Heritage Unlimited was appointed in July 2025 to inspect the memorial and advise on its repair.
- Property
- Royal Naval Division War Memorial, Horse Guards Parade
- Listing
- Grade II*
- Location
- Westminster, London
- Authority
- Westminster City Council
- Year
- 2025
- Outcome
- Condition survey and maintenance strategy issued
A memorial that has moved twice.
The memorial has an unusual history. It was dismantled at the start of the Second World War to make way for the Admiralty Citadel, re-erected at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich in 1951, and returned to its original site and rededicated in 2003. An inscription on the memorial records each move.
That history matters to a condition survey, because a structure that has been taken down and rebuilt twice carries the materials and methods of each campaign. Part of our work was to establish what was done in 2003, through enquiries to the War Memorials Trust and others, so that repairs can be specified with an understanding of what lies beneath the surface.
A war memorial condition survey: stone, lead and lettering.
We inspected the memorial at close quarters in July 2025: the stonework and its joints, the inscriptions, and both basins. The basins were filled and the levels checked the following day, and no leaks were visible.
The upper basin is lined in lead and serviceable, though the lead drip at its edge is defective, so that water tracks back down the underside of the bowl and the pedestal. The lower basin is lined in asphalt with minor cracking. There is significant failure of the lime mortar joints and some damaged stone. The inscriptions are mostly legible but in poor condition, and without attention some of the lettering is likely to be lost within about ten years.
From symptoms to a programme of repair.
The survey turned those observations into a prioritised list of recommendations, to be carried out by suitably skilled conservators and agreed with the local planning authority before work begins.
- Gentle low-pressure cleaning, with any biocide tested first
- Repair of the lead drip in traditional leadwork, and investigation of the upper basin lining
- Patch repair of the asphalt to the lower basin
- Repointing in lime mortar, with stone indents where needed
- Re-cutting and re-leading of the inscriptions by hand
- An annual maintenance plan of inspection, cleaning, water testing and record keeping
The condition survey and photographic appendix were issued in September 2025.
What we did
One survey, a clear way forward.
Listed Building Survey and Repair Advice
A close inspection of the stonework, basins and inscriptions, with a water test of the fountain and a prioritised schedule of conservation repairs.
About Survey and Repair Advice →Maintenance strategy
An annual plan of inspection, cleaning and testing, so that small defects are found before they become losses.
About Survey and Repair Advice →A memorial or monument in need of care?
Tell us about your project.
We survey listed memorials, monuments and buildings and advise on their repair across England and Wales. Send us the details and you will have a response within one working day.
To get a fast outline approach, share:
- The address of the property and its grading, if known
- A short description of the proposed works
- Where you are in the planning process
- Your role: owner, developer, architect, or public body