War memorials

Belgium: Hooge Crater Cemetery, Ieper

Architect: Sir Edwin Lutyens
Owners: Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Location: Ieper, West-Vlaanderen

Hooge Crater Cemetery, Zillebeke, takes its name from the chateau at Hooge and from the crater from a mine sprung by the British in July 1915. The Principal architect was Lutyens; the Assistant Architect N.A. Rew. The design for the two shelters that flank the cross of sacrifice are a combination of red brick and white stone. Various classical motifs have been combined in the architecture such as the Greek temple and Roman triumphal arch with brick barrel vaulting. The pitched stone roof with housed gutter showing no distracting details is unusual and quite special. There are 5,878 graves. Hooge château was briefly the headquarters of Sir John French, commander in chief of the British Army before being supplanted by Douglas Haig in 1915. It was shelled to pieces soon afterwards and restored for Baron de Vinck in 1920 by Adolphe Puissante.

Gavin Stamp

Commonwealth War Graves Commission