On the wall of the Town Hall is a memorial tablet on which appear these words:

'Alcester War Memorial Town Hall. This ancient hall, rebuilt in 1641, was purchased by public subscription from the lord of the manor, The Most Honourable The Marquis of Hertford as a permanent memorial to the brave men of Alcester and Oversley who gave their lives in the Great War of 1914 -1918.'

1919.  George Thomas, High Bailiff  R.H.Spencer, Low Bailiff.

This seems straighforward enough. But two interesting comments may be made. it was not put there and unveiled until 1938. Lord Henry Seymour, who unveiled the tablet said that criticism could be made that such a tablet had not been provided before 'but there were reasons why it had not been done'. The ceremony took place in the presence of the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, A.E.Canning, whose boyhood was spent in Alcester. The second comment concerns the wording on the tablet 'rebuilt in 1641'. The Town Hall was completed in 1641 (the top storey), the ground floor having been built 20 or so years before. Before that there had been no Hall; the site had been occupied by the mediaeval High Cross. 'Rebuilt' is, therefore, a misleading word.

Spring 1985 Index