Fienvillers British Cemetery

Description

According to the IWGC, the design is attributed to Hutton. However, the approval form mentions Lutyens as the principal architect. Lutyens had already drawn up a design for the cemetery in 1918, but this was later rejected due to the costs and new insights. The cemetery was constructed between May and September 1918.

The first design for this small cemetery had both a War Stone and a Cross of Sacrifice, which makes it obvious that the design was finalized after the Kenyon compromise. However, after the three experimental cemeteries, it was decided to realize a much more sober design, which included a gatehouse with a pergola and the War Stone on the visibility axis of the entrance opposite the gatehouse on the southeast side. The Cross of Sacrifice stood on the opposite side of the cemetery. The small area was surrounded by lime trees and next to the gatehouse and the War Stone there were rows of cypresses. In the plans, the greenery was not placed in front of the headstones but behind them, with rows of Chinese roses at the top. A wall was drawn around the cemetery, and this was combined on two sides with a hedge of hawthorn, holly or hornbeam. On the other side, there were climbing roses and cotoneaster. Wisteria and iris surrounded the pergola.

In the realized cemetery, the Cross of Sacrifice has been moved to the position of the War Stone. The gatehouse building has been replaced by a double stairway. The retaining walls at the roadside have been replaced by an embankment with a hedge. On the advice of Lutyens, the changes made by Hutton were implemented in the entrance structures to keep the view of the Cross of Sacrifice free. The design displays great similarity with Villers-Bocage Communal Cemetery Extension by Lutyens and Goldsmith. The cemetery is surrounded by a hedge. Two conifers flank the Cross of Sacrifice and there are two flowering crabs. (Geurst, 2010, p.298)

Bibliography

Geurst, J. (2010) Cemeteries of the Great War by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers.

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Client

Imperial War Graves Commission