GRID REF: NY40067 55940 Postcode CA3 8JE
The War Memorial of the City of Carlisle is situated prominently in the area of the Greenmarket in the city centre.
This Memorial, or Cenotaph, was erected in 1990 to form a focal point for the annual Act of Remembrance of the people of Carlisle. It was felt that the Cenotaph in Rickerby Park (Memorial 1) was a little too remote. It was also considered to be the County memorial for the Fallen of Westmorland and Cumberland of the Great War.
The City centre Cenotaph was unveiled and dedicated on 16th Nov 1990 by the Bishop of Carlisle. It bears no names and while it was considered to be a memorial to those who fell in WW2 it is also a tribute to all of the Fallen of recent and earlier conflicts.
The City Representatives, representatives of the Armed Forces, ex-service personnel, youth organisations, and increasing numbers of the public gather here every year on Remembrance Sunday and on other occasions to honour the memory of those who made The Supreme Sacrifice.
On Remembrance Sunday, following a formal Service in the nearby Cathedral, the public and the Civic dignitaries gather around the Cenotaph for an Act of Commemoration which includes the customary Silence and bugle calls at 11 am.
A short Act of Remembrance is organised by the local Royal British Legion each year on 11th November at 11 am when that date does not fall on a Sunday. It too receives considerable support from the public, particularly local primary schools who lay their own tributes at the base of the Memorial.
In 2014 a secluded spot near the Church entrance of the nearby churchyard of St Cuthbert was dedicated as a Garden of Remembrance. In that year a custom was begun that, immediately after the formal ceremonies at the Greenmarket, those who wished could process to this garden to place their tributes in a more private act of remembrance. Personal tributes are still of course welcome at the Cenotaph.
The Garden of Remembrance in St Cuthbert's Churchyard
Access; The Cenotaph is in a public area and accessible at all times. The Churchyard of St Cuthbert is also open to the public.
