Lutyens and the Great War

Sir Edwin Lutyens is celebrated for his large houses for wealthy clients, yet much of his work designed in connection with World War I remains unknown. As Chief Architect for the Imperial War Graves Commission, Lutyens’ work — cemeteries, war memorials, and individual graves and monuments — set the standard for the much-admired British and Commonwealth war cemeteries. In addition to the famed Cenotaph in Whitehall and the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval, Lutyens created another 55 memorials. This detailed guide covers them all, including the beautiful memorial at Spalding that has never appeared in any book on Lutyen’s work and the cemeteries at Monchy and Croisilles in France that barely rate a mention in battlefield guides, let alone in books about architecture. Tim Skelton and Gerald Gliddon of the Lutyens Trust describe these moving works and the stories behind them, while 375 color photographs capture their somber beauty.