Flanders Memorial Garden

The Flanders Memorial Garden Dedication took place on Tuesday April 4th, 2017 to mark one hundred years after the bloody fighting of the first world war that took thousands of lives in the battlefields of Flanders.

Portland stone Australia were proud to supply 18 pieces of Portland Stone Jordan Basebed for the project. The same stone was used on the arch of the Menin Gate in leper (Ypres), the circular form is reminiscent of the roof opening of the Menin Gate, through which poppy petals are scattered on Remembrance Day.

Traditional Stone Restoration based in Sydney were commissioned to inscribe the commemorative text of John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” into the Portland Stone.

Daniel Wainwright of architectural firm Johnson Pilton Walker explained the decision to overlap the text was designed to encourage movement and reflection while experiencing the Portland Stone Flanders Memorial Garden. He based the design on the Flanders fields memorial located at the Guards Chapel, Birdcage walk, London.
The Australian design incorporates a plinth to give the circular shape a feeling of elevation.

Mr Koen Verlaeckt the ‘Secretary General of the Flanders Department of Foreign Affairs commented that “in the age of social media and the 24 hour news cycle that it is of the utmost importance that we create physical anchors of stability that invite our citizens to make time for reflection and remembrance”.

The full dedication program can be viewed on you tube.