GML Heritage
Executive Summary
The King George V Memorial is located in Parkes Place, a landscape area opposite Old Parliament
House on King George Terrace, Parkes, ACT. It is a memorial commemorating the twenty six year
reign of King George V, Australia’s monarch during Federation and the Great War. The monument
was proposed in 1936, but it was not until 1941 that the Art Deco stone monument was constructed
and the bronze figure cast in London and installed on the land axis of central Canberra after World
War II.
This Heritage Management Plan (HMP) for King George V Memorial establishes the importance of
the memorial. It is a place of Commonwealth Heritage value and a component of Parliament House
Vista; a significant place in central Canberra, the National Triangle. The HMP provides the National
Capital Authority (NCA) with direction for the protection, conservation and interpretation of the
memorial’s heritage values.
The heritage values of King George V Memorial have been identified in this HMP and they need to
be understood, celebrated and continue to be cared for by the NCA, the Canberra community and
visitors alike.
King George V Memorial is a place that symbolises a link between the Monarch, Australian
Federation, the early growth of Canberra and changing social and political attitudes of Australia.
The relocation from its original location on the land axis to its current site is a significant aspect of
the memorial’s history, symbolic of changing Australian attitudes toward Empire, monarchy, war and
democracy.
In addition to outlining the physical and historic context, the HMP provides a revised assessment of
the Commonwealth Heritage values of the memorial. The constraints and opportunities that arise
both from the memorials’ heritage values, its condition and its conservation needs are also included
in the HMP. There is an opportunity to conserve, interpret and reinvigorate the importance of the
memorial in its current setting.
Should relocation be considered in the future this would need to be rigorously evaluated given the
potential to impact on the memorial’s heritage values and any heritage values associated with a
proposed new setting. Irrespective of any possible future decisions about relocation, the
conservation of the memorial in its present location should be undertaken as a matter of priority and
on the basis that the memorial will remain in its current location for at least 5-10 years. To address
the conservation needs, Volume 2 provides a clear direction for the NCA to implement conservation
works and an ongoing cyclical maintenance program.
The key conservation issues for the memorial include:

the stonework is in poor condition;

failure of mortar joints;

biological staining, causing disfigurement of the memorial;

staining to the granite platform and steps;

the bronze elements require cleaning and selective repatination;
King George V—Heritage Management Plan (May 2014)
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GML Heritage

Salt analysis and reinstatement to the interior brickwork; and

repairs and rectification of OH&S issues to the interior space.
The key conservation policies to address these issues include the need to:

recognise the heritage values of the King George V Memorial identified in this HMP;

retain and conserve the King George V Memorial in situ;

undertake conservation and maintenance works set out in Volume 2 of this HMP; and

provide interpretation for the King George V Memorial.
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King George V—Heritage Management Plan (May 2014)