SOUTHAMPTON’S cenotaph has been upgraded to a Grade II* listing, English Heritage has announced.

The memorial in Watts Park, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, was the model for the one in Whitehall which forms the centre of Britain’s Remembrance Day events.

English Heritage has also awarded listed status to 17 war memorials in England this year to offer them extra protection and make it easier for communities to receive grants for conservation and repair. The shrine in Ryde, Isle of Wight, was among those listed.