Finial from the House of Commons - Brenchley Gardens, Maidstone, UK
N 51° 16.620 E 000° 31.215
31U E 327046 N 5683549
This finial once sat atop the House of Commons Debating Chamber but was dislodged during bombing in the Second World War in 1941. It was later presented to the people of Maidstone and placed in Brenchley Gardens.
Waymark Code: WMRANB
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/01/2016
Views: 1
The finial is a Grade II listed structure with the entry at the Historic England website advising:
This is the finial which originally crowned the main wall of the House of Commons Debating Chamber. When this was destroyed by bombing in 1941, the finial was presented to the citizens of Maidstone. Circa 1834 a large limestone octagonal finial of 2 stages with a crenellated band between 1st and 2nd stages. Domed top. Set on a stone plinth.
There is a plaque attached to the finial that tells us:
This is the finial that crowned the main wall of the House of Commons Debating Chamber which was destroyed by the German Blitz on London, 10th May, 1941.
For nearly a hundred years, beneath its shadow all the House of Commons speeches were made, including the magnificent orations of Benjamin Disraeli who was first elected to Parliament by the men of Maidstone in 1837; announcements of the advance in social services, in which Great Britain led the world; the stirring words of David Lloyd George during the First World War and the unforgettable calls to the Empire by Winston Churchill in that year when "we stood alone".
The finial was given to Maidstone in 1948 by Alfred C Blossom MP who on the 18th of June that year had represented this ancient Borough in Parliament for a longer period than any previous member. It was accepted on behalf of the town by the Mayor, Alderman William Day Jnr.