National Memorial Arboretum
Latest Reviews
this arboretum ,in my opinion is up there amongst the best in the world ,i defy any one who says not ,if anyone has lost a loved one ,weather first or second world wars ,also OTHER wars ,this is a must ,it is a history lesson ,everywhere you look on this mass arboretum ,shows us who did not experience those terrible things that had happened ,we must never forget the men and women who gave there lives so we still hear can live in peace [god bless them all ] it s sad when you stand next to someone who was there ,remembering there friends who they lost while in battle with the enemy ,you can see the hurt in there tearful eyes [mine too] just remember there were millions
i dont know how i would handle it ,but as one such man said you had no choice ,.
you need more than a day to get round ,i will be going back
i dont know how i would handle it ,but as one such man said you had no choice ,.
you need more than a day to get round ,i will be going back
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
If you like pleasant reflective walks in a nice calm environment then this is the place to go. It also gives you a chance to realise what price has been paid by the service men and women of this country in some of the more recent and ongoing conflicts around the globe.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
this is well worth a visit. The arboretum is a place where you can reflect on what is past in a place that is tranquil but not somber. the gardens and memorials are thought provoking. this place is where each generation can learn about the sacrifice that many have made throughout the 20th century
the arboretum is set in 150 acres so those who have mobility problems need to hire a mobility scooter or take a wheelchair.
all staff are friendly and knowledgeable. a lovely place to take a picnic and spend some quality time with those who are important to you.
car parking is £3 entry is free
the arboretum is set in 150 acres so those who have mobility problems need to hire a mobility scooter or take a wheelchair.
all staff are friendly and knowledgeable. a lovely place to take a picnic and spend some quality time with those who are important to you.
car parking is £3 entry is free
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
A Memorial in its infancy and still subject to development and upgrading.. Some lovely and historic areas yet not sure what the criteria is for inclusion on the site. Seems to rely on voluntary workers and donations. With the amount of visitors to the site I would have expected more from Central Government. You need more than a day to see all areas. I don't want to sound critical but maintenance not to same standard as Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Free admission suggested donation £5. Car parking £3. Helpful staff, a must visit and will go again.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The arboretum is well with a visit- very thought provoking and poignant- really makes you think of the amazing sacrifices that our armed forces have made. Good parking and had lunch in the restaurant which was excellent..
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Beautifully maintained site with plenty of room for more trees and memorials. The little train gives you a good tour of the site. It was very windy when we were there and we could have done with more protection on the train - it takes an hour and moves very slowly and so we got very cold. Some rugs for our legs would have been very welcome. The memorials are well worth the visit and are very poignant, emotional and thought provoking.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
My husband and I visited the National Memorial Arboretum and were both pleasantly surprised by how beautiful and serene we found this place. It was not morbid. It is beautifully maintained. Probably best visited when not having rained for a few days, since some tributes were accessed via the grassed areas.
We walked the whole area (without a guide/map - which we must have missed on the way in), plus the little train was full. However we gleaned sufficient information at each memorial.
The cafe served a good selection of snacks, and was not over-priced, and it was service with a smile.
This could be an excellent centre of learning for our youth, as we spotted many younger visitors having memorials explained by elder relatives, I truly feel that guides or volunteers dotted around the site at the various memorials, or offering accompanied walking tours, would maybe be a better alternative to having the likes of us wandering around aimlesslessy.
Personally - I had no reluctance providing a donation at the end of my visit, since I could see - just from the maintenance of the grounds/gardens alone, just how much time & cost goes into this place. However - Requesting a small nominal charge for tours & the like (particularly from newcomers) may be a better idea than asking for donations - you'd feel like you'd had something for your money?
We walked the whole area (without a guide/map - which we must have missed on the way in), plus the little train was full. However we gleaned sufficient information at each memorial.
The cafe served a good selection of snacks, and was not over-priced, and it was service with a smile.
This could be an excellent centre of learning for our youth, as we spotted many younger visitors having memorials explained by elder relatives, I truly feel that guides or volunteers dotted around the site at the various memorials, or offering accompanied walking tours, would maybe be a better alternative to having the likes of us wandering around aimlesslessy.
Personally - I had no reluctance providing a donation at the end of my visit, since I could see - just from the maintenance of the grounds/gardens alone, just how much time & cost goes into this place. However - Requesting a small nominal charge for tours & the like (particularly from newcomers) may be a better idea than asking for donations - you'd feel like you'd had something for your money?
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
My friend's son had been killed in Afghanistan so I wanted to see the memorial wall. There is a memorial service held which you can attend (or not) and then you can catch the little train to go round the main site. We did feel that, with a little thought, they could allow people to get on and off as they went round the site, especially if you are a bit hobbled or elderly. It is an impressive place and will get better and better over time. It is a good place to spend an afternoon walking as well as looking at the memorials. We had lunch in the marquee where the staff were busy but very friendly. I had a ham roll and coffee. Although the coffee was out of a machine, it was very good. The roll had to be praised. The bread was apparantly made on site and was great but the ham, the ham; ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. Really good ham; cannot praise it enough. Also on site, you could have had a roast dinner which looked very good too. This was a very good place to visit.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
We only spent about an hour and a half there but it is a large site with the number of memorials being added to all the time. Gerry says it was a humbling experience and I can only agree.
The restaurant was crowded on our visit because there was a veterans meeting being held so there were blazers, berets and medals everywhere. Yet we weren't made to feel that we were intruding. I hope I will be able to go and pay my respects again soon.
The restaurant was crowded on our visit because there was a veterans meeting being held so there were blazers, berets and medals everywhere. Yet we weren't made to feel that we were intruding. I hope I will be able to go and pay my respects again soon.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The arboretum is a place where you can spend many hours and continually see and learn something different.
The guide who are volunteers are amazing , compassionate and a credit to the arboretum.you should not miss the brief service in the chapel held each day.
The guide who are volunteers are amazing , compassionate and a credit to the arboretum.you should not miss the brief service in the chapel held each day.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I didn't know what to expect on my 1st visit here as was slightly apprehensive. I found it very humbling to visit but am glad that I did. I was surprised how vast the Arboretum was. It was very well laid out with easy access to all points.
Home made soup in the café was scrummy.
Home made soup in the café was scrummy.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
this is a real must see place the atmosphere is something else so so moving the act of remembrance is carried out everyday at 11am and the grounds are just beautiful and beautifully cared for. The garden for the men shot at dawn is really moving the trees look so ghostly its hard not to visit and be moved.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The staff fell over themselves to make us welcome and be helpful and we had a wonderful day. The site was much bigger than we anticipated and, although we we still need to go back to see bits we missed, we walked miles. For those who can't, other forms of transport are available. Before the visit we thought that it was purely a war memorial and were presently surprised to find that although it involved every branch of the forces as well as individual incidents and campaigns like D Day and Gallipoli, it also included hundreds of auxiliary services as well as other organisations such as SANDS, Toc H, RNLI and even private individuals.
While we were there we had coffee, lunch and afternoon tea - not too expensive - excellent sandwiches.
As the site matures it will also expand in area and there are plans to rebuild the centre building to cater for the number of visitors.
While we were there we had coffee, lunch and afternoon tea - not too expensive - excellent sandwiches.
As the site matures it will also expand in area and there are plans to rebuild the centre building to cater for the number of visitors.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
This is going to be a peculiar review! Firstly let's get the basics out of the way and say that what is there today won't be half as good as it will be in the future when trees etc have developed more. However, it's a fine design and well thought out. But unlike other contributors, I thought the place was totally lacking in atmosphere. It is really just a collection of "remembrances" and however noble that may be, it really has to be done in the best possible way. What does this mean? That's exceptionally difficult to say and a bright sunny day (lacking in moodiness) with hundreds of people meandering about sightseeing totally destroy any feelings that may have been present amongst those who came to remember specific loved ones. Of course it's moving to see - for example - actual names put to raw statistics (like the replicated Basra Wall) especially in those wars which one has lived through but it doesn't do it as well as other memorials. Visit any CWG cemetery to see the beauty of an immaculate site provoking a feeling of loss or visit a Belgian Memorial such as the Ypres Wall or the Canadian Memorial to understand the spine chilling feelings that can be brought out.
Please don't think that I am some cold-hearted pacifist or something similar - I most certainly am not. Nor do I believe that the Arboretum should be missed. I just feel that compared with other places I have seen, it doesn't hit the spot. Worth a visit - Yes! - but other places do it better.
Please don't think that I am some cold-hearted pacifist or something similar - I most certainly am not. Nor do I believe that the Arboretum should be missed. I just feel that compared with other places I have seen, it doesn't hit the spot. Worth a visit - Yes! - but other places do it better.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
We visited over the Bank Holiday Weekend. Free entry though car park has a reasonable charge. The 150 acre site is vast & cannot be covered in a day. We rode the Road-Train which lasted 45 minutes and covered a large part of the site with an excellent commentary. A Remembrance Service is held at 11am daily in the lovely chapel. It was a very moving experience and plan to return one day.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
A great day out, plenty to see, so many lovely statues and memorials
Good walking shoes needed or take the shuttle train for a small fee
Good walking shoes needed or take the shuttle train for a small fee
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Went on a beautiful summers day and spent the day walking and thinking of all the different memorials. Very poignant and moving but well worth a visit
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Visited for the first time this week.......... what a moving place. Once in the arboretum the first thing you see is the huge stone circle , on the hill, which is the main focal point. The walls of the circle have hundreds and hundreds of names of those who have fallen, with 2 very poingnant sculptures in the centre.
All aound the rest of the site are many hundreds of memorials to all areas of the forces who have served both in the theatre of war and also those people left at home.It's hard to put into words the feeling the place evokes... it is peaceful even though it got busy.
It was good to be able to chat with some of the veteran soldiers that had visited... if it wasn't for them.....
It only cost £3 to park the car for the whole day. There's a nice little souvenir shop that you pass through to get to the exit. There's a very good cafe, which got extremely busy at lunchtime.
There is a land train which costs £4.50, takes an hour to tour the site, with a running commentary.
Everyone involved with the Arboretum are happy, friendly and approachable, from the 2 lady gardeners who explained a great deal to us, to the cagfe staff and gift shop workers.
If you are interested in our history, and want to know more about the people who lost their lives while making this little island of ours 'Great' Britain, a visit here will not disappoint.
All aound the rest of the site are many hundreds of memorials to all areas of the forces who have served both in the theatre of war and also those people left at home.It's hard to put into words the feeling the place evokes... it is peaceful even though it got busy.
It was good to be able to chat with some of the veteran soldiers that had visited... if it wasn't for them.....
It only cost £3 to park the car for the whole day. There's a nice little souvenir shop that you pass through to get to the exit. There's a very good cafe, which got extremely busy at lunchtime.
There is a land train which costs £4.50, takes an hour to tour the site, with a running commentary.
Everyone involved with the Arboretum are happy, friendly and approachable, from the 2 lady gardeners who explained a great deal to us, to the cagfe staff and gift shop workers.
If you are interested in our history, and want to know more about the people who lost their lives while making this little island of ours 'Great' Britain, a visit here will not disappoint.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Best done on a dry day so many memorials to see, The main one is the most moving for me as it has blank walls waiting for new names to be added. A little train runs about for those not so able. free to go in, pay carpark not to much. Nice little café and gift shop.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I visit the Memorial every year. I take a seat in a quiet place just to remember all of the armed forces men & women that gave their live's for our freedom.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
This is the third time I've visited the National Memorial Arboretum, For most people they will have seen the great circular central memorial, standing on its green mound, and that is the focus of the site, but there are a huge number of monuments and memorials, not only to various military groups but many others as well.
It's very peaceful and thought provoking to walk round with just the occasinal train going by in the distant and the sounds of birds flying about. The goldfinches were very active today. The peace and quiet is one of the great joys of this place
There are so many beautiful memorials that it is difficult to pick out the most thought-provoking. I particularly like a section showing how memorials/graves have changed through the centuries from pre-Roman to modern. The Shot at dawn section with wooden posts commemorating every British soldier shot at dawn during WW1 is especially poignant. The youngest soldier, whose name I saw was just 17, although many plaques say 'age unknown'. You can't help but feel sorry for these young lads, who went off to war not knowing what to expect and ended up being shot by their own side.
There is a 'train' to use to go round but it is preferable, to my mind, to walk. That enables you to go off the main path, through the trees and suddenly come upon the big set-piece memorials or just to be able to read some of the small individual plaques tied to trees. The whole are, but for the central monument, is flat, which makes movement easy.
If I have one moan, it's the fact that not all the Latin inscriptions of some of the regiments etc. are accuaretely translated.
Entry is free and the carparking price of £3 seems a small price to spend. Loos are in short supply apart from in the main building..another minor detail, but important for some.
It's very peaceful and thought provoking to walk round with just the occasinal train going by in the distant and the sounds of birds flying about. The goldfinches were very active today. The peace and quiet is one of the great joys of this place
There are so many beautiful memorials that it is difficult to pick out the most thought-provoking. I particularly like a section showing how memorials/graves have changed through the centuries from pre-Roman to modern. The Shot at dawn section with wooden posts commemorating every British soldier shot at dawn during WW1 is especially poignant. The youngest soldier, whose name I saw was just 17, although many plaques say 'age unknown'. You can't help but feel sorry for these young lads, who went off to war not knowing what to expect and ended up being shot by their own side.
There is a 'train' to use to go round but it is preferable, to my mind, to walk. That enables you to go off the main path, through the trees and suddenly come upon the big set-piece memorials or just to be able to read some of the small individual plaques tied to trees. The whole are, but for the central monument, is flat, which makes movement easy.
If I have one moan, it's the fact that not all the Latin inscriptions of some of the regiments etc. are accuaretely translated.
Entry is free and the carparking price of £3 seems a small price to spend. Loos are in short supply apart from in the main building..another minor detail, but important for some.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
An awe inspiring experience. The main memorial is a true epitaph. The many memorials to individual groups are so significant.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Most people make their first visit to the NMA I am sure with one main thing in mind, in order to see the National Armed Forces Memorial, a most fitting and appropriate memorial. There are many other moving memorials to all branches of the Armed Forces and in remembrance of many conflicts. We must not forget however that also remembered there are the Civilian Services, encompassed as a whole and remembered in the Civil Defence Garden and also by the Fire & Rescue Service Monument in the neighbouring garden, and by "The Beat" and associated garden, remembering our Police Officers. Members of all of these organisations have made the ultimate sacrifice. The Fire & Rescue Service Monument was created to remember, and pay tribute to firefighters, past, present and future. There are many other memorials dedicated to civilians too numerous to mention which should also not be overlooked. At least a full day is recommended.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Very moving, well worth a visit. Bit shocked at parking fee, but entry is free. Recommend arriving in time for 2 mins silence in chapel at 11 am.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I wasnt sure what to expect when i visited the Abouretum. It is free to go in but they would sugest a donation of £5.
it is a large site to wonder around good walking shoes a must if you intend to see it all by walking . there is a land train to take you around most of the site so great for disabled and difficulty in walking .
The monuments are amazing and the stories behind them even more so we had a guide well worth paying for his valuable knowledge
.At 11am in the small church is a remembrance service which is a daily event .
The centre piece Is the armed forces memorial a must to see.
There are over sea's memorials. and others memorials for different organisations ie Bt The postal sevices so not all military .
Its unbelieveable how many people lost their lives through conflict and not all military
A memorial to War Horses i believe is coming soon.
This is such a beautiful sight with its memorials ,flowers, and trees time for peace relction and tranquility its an amazing place for anyone to go and see this is a full day out and i still didn't get to do it justice it also has a river walk which ill have to do next time because i will go again
it is a large site to wonder around good walking shoes a must if you intend to see it all by walking . there is a land train to take you around most of the site so great for disabled and difficulty in walking .
The monuments are amazing and the stories behind them even more so we had a guide well worth paying for his valuable knowledge
.At 11am in the small church is a remembrance service which is a daily event .
The centre piece Is the armed forces memorial a must to see.
There are over sea's memorials. and others memorials for different organisations ie Bt The postal sevices so not all military .
Its unbelieveable how many people lost their lives through conflict and not all military
A memorial to War Horses i believe is coming soon.
This is such a beautiful sight with its memorials ,flowers, and trees time for peace relction and tranquility its an amazing place for anyone to go and see this is a full day out and i still didn't get to do it justice it also has a river walk which ill have to do next time because i will go again
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
