T.E.Lawrence memorial, St. Martins, Wareham, Dorset
Posted by: 
Aldenbob
N 50° 41.207 W 002° 06.408
30U E 563096 N 5615375
A memorial to Lawrence 'of Arabia' carved by Eric Kennington situated in St. Martins, Wareham, the oldest church in Dorset.
Waymark Code: WM50P9
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/22/2008
Views: 13
The memorial was sculpted by the Eric Kennington, an official war artist for both the First and Second World Wars, between 1936 and 1939, and friend of Lawrence.
Lawrence became famous for fighting on the Arab front against the Turks. The memorial was actually made for St Paul’s Cathedral but controversy surrounding Lawrence - and the fact that it depicts him in Arab clothes - meant they wouldn't accept it. It was then offered to Westminster Abbey and Salisbury Cathedral and they wouldn't accept it either.
The fact that the memorial was finally made welcome by a small church in Wareham is fitting considering Lawrence's ties with Dorset. The Wales-born writer and soldier retreated to the county after the First World War. He resided for many years at Clouds Hill, a tiny cottage which lies between Dorchester and Wareham before meeting an untimely death in a motorcycle accident in 1935. He is buried in Moreton.
Lawrence is depicted in the effigy as recumbent in Arabic dress with a curved dagger in his hand and a whip to his side. His feet rest against a block of Hittite sculpture of two fighting bulls representing his archaeological research and his struggles in the First World War.
The church is tiny, and the memorial dominates the lower space. But look up at the medieval wall-paintings and later memorials to others. This is a very special place to visit.
URL of the statue: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.