Work to restore and refurbish Builth Wells’ war memorial is now finished for this year

But a second phase of work on the memorial will begin again in the spring of 2026.

Stonemason Jonathan Protheroe of William Protheroe Limited in Llangunllo near Knighton started work on the memorial in August.

Town clerk Louise Hammond told the town council at a meeting on Tuesday that Jonathan has finished his work for this year and he will be back in the spring to complete the project.

She said Jonathan had done all of the stone sections, which were Bath stone and they were weathering.

Mrs Hammond said; “When he returns next year he will replace the pieces underneath where the soldiers, are as they are crumbling away.

“Jonathan has said he would not send the council an invoice until the work was complete next year. He has done a great job.”

The memorial was unveiled in July 1924 to commemorate the men of Builth Wells and Llanddewi’r Cwm who had died in the First World War.

The names of those who died in the Second World War were added later.

The figures around the memorial represent the Army, Royal Navy, Mercantile Marine and Royal Air Force.

The memorial was restored in 2019 with help from Heritage Lottery Fund, Cadw and the Powys War Memorials Project.

The memorial is made from three types of stone. The basal steps are locally sourced greywacke - a dark, hard sandstone with a clay matrix. The figures are carved in Portland Stone from the Whit Bed, Dorset. The rest of the monument is of Doulting Stone from Somerset.

William Protheroe Ltd is a family-run business that produces hand-carved stone memorials, plaques and sculptures. 

They have been using traditional methods and tools since 1848, bringing out the natural beauty of this material in a way that the use of modern techniques and equipment can never hope to equal.

Members noted the update