The Garnett memorial cross by A.G. Walker R.A. (famous for the equestrian statue of John Wesley in Bristol and the Derby war memorial) was situated below Backwell Hill House late residence of the Garnett family. The memorial consists of a life size crucifix  and a plaque in bronze. The  steel armature inside the cross had rusted very badly over the years causing distortion to the bronze casting, pictured right, and there was also concern about the structural integrity of this support. I was asked by Alan Rome to remove the memorial to my workshop for repairs and then erect it on a new plinth in the churchyard of St Andrews Backwell.

The war memorial is to Pat Garnett who the locals say died  engaging the Baron von Richthofen (the Red Baron) in aerial combat. The memorial was erected in the grounds of the family home overlooking the Bristol channel. The property was sold and over the years the woodland encroached until It became very hard to find the monument. If one came across it by accident it was a strange and wonderful surprise. In many ways it is sad to have moved it but it was very near collapse and its upkeep is now assured in the churchyard. The team of volunteers (left) were indispensable in removing the sculpture through very rough overgrown terrain.

 

 

St Andrews Backwell   The Garnett Memorial

1997