A Memorial Forest, Surrey, Southern England

A Memorial Forest at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey

26 August 2026

Design: Studio Wignall & Moore

Location: Brookwood Military Cemetery, Pirbright, Surrey, southern England, UK

photo © Agnese Sanvito

Photos © Agnese Sanvito and courtesy of Stonewest Ltd

Studio Wignall & Moore create A Memorial Forest at Brookwood Military Cemetery to honour those whose graves have never been formally identified

Studio Wignall & Moore were commissioned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) to design a new 1914-1918 Memorial at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey to commemorate more than four hundred First World War service personnel from the UK and Ireland whose graves were never formally identified, and whose contribution was not fully recognised for more than a century. The new memorial is now complete and has been officially inaugurated by HRH The Princess Royal, President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

photo courtesy of Stonewest Ltd

Sky, Stone and Landscape
“We wanted the site to feel reflective rather than monumental; somewhere visitors could pause, spend time and reconnect with individual stories of loss and commemoration” Bradley Moore, Director of Studio Wignall & Moore, commented on the practice’s approach to the memorial.

The design sought to establish a landscape that feels contemplative, enduring and deeply connected to its setting, as well as incorporating a meaningful relationship with environmental stewardship. Rather than creating a single monument therefore, Studio Wignall & Moore conceived the site as ‘a memorial forest’ of stones and planting: a landscape to be wandered through and returned to, bringing together architecture, horticulture and history in a natural environment that invites tranquillity.

photo © Agnese Sanvito

“At the centre of the design is a celestial concept” James Wignall, Director of Studio Wignall & Moore explained. “Working alongside the Royal Astronomical Society, we mapped the night sky as it would have appeared above Brookwood at the moment the guns fell silent and the Armistice was signed, in the early hours of 11 November 1918. We then translated the positions of the brightest visible stars from that precise moment into the layout of the stelae on the ground, with each named for the star it represents, reinforcing the cemetery’s connection to time, memory and place.”

photo © Agnese Sanvito

Thirty commemorative Portland stone stelae were commissioned for the installation, with one additional stone acting as a dedication. These are arranged across a woodland setting of new tree planting, wildflower meadow and heathland, developed in close collaboration with landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith OBE. The memorial’s layout and planting create a calm, green atmospheric natural space, rich in biodiversity, where visitors can pause, reflect and connect with the history of those commemorated at Brookwood Military Cemetery – the UK’s largest Commonwealth war cemetery.

photo courtesy of Stonewest Ltd

Background to the Project
Continuing research by the CWGC’s Commemorations Team and volunteer researchers from the In From The Cold Project had revealed hundreds of additional service personnel who died of wounds, illness or trauma linked to their wartime experience after returning home from military service. This memorial now gives those who died in this way a permanent place of ongoing commemoration – and has been designed with room to add a further 800 names as research continues.

photo courtesy of Stonewest Ltd

Stone as an Expression of Time
The stelae designed for the memorial by Studio Wignall & Moore are carved from the traditional material for memorials – Portland stone – and sourced from the largest blocks available from the same geological beds from which the CWGC obtained its earliest memorial stone. Their dimensions are shaped by the natural limits of the Dorset quarry itself.

Eight of the stelae, scattered throughout the site, show their natural unrefined quarry faces, usually removed during the refinement process.

“The inclusion of the unrefined faces” Bradley Moore explained, “reveals the history embedded within the stone, exposing traces of ancient riverbeds, fossilised vegetation and other formations created over millions of years. In doing so, the design treats stone not simply as a construction material, but as an expression of time, connecting individual acts of remembrance to a far broader temporal landscape.”

photo © Agnese Sanvito

Despite their substantial size, the stelae are supported by an innovative foundation system that allows them to be safely installed without the use of concrete, reducing the project’s environmental impact and preserving the integrity of the landscape. Six monolithic Portland stone benches are also positioned throughout the memorial and aligned with the arc of the sun, encouraging visitors to pause, sit and spend time within the landscape, transforming the memorial from a place of passage into a place of reflection.

Long-Term Landscape Stewardship
Planting introduces wildflower, pollinator-friendly and heathland species selected for their ability to thrive in the site’s low-nutrient, low-pH sandy soil without long-term irrigation, alongside more than 400 newly planted trees. The approach is deliberately one of stewardship, creating a living, evolving landscape intended to encourage climate resilience and biodiversity over decades, supporting wildlife and providing a peaceful setting for generations to come.
Designed for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Studio Wignall & Moore offers a new model for remembrance – one that can grow as history continues to emerge.

photo courtesy of Stonewest Ltd

A Memorial Forest in Surrey, Southern England – Architecture information

Architecture: Studio Wignall & Moore – https://www.wignallandmoore.com/
Location: Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, United Kingdom
Client: Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC)
Landscape Design: Tom Stuart-Smith OBE
Stelae: 31 Portland stone stelae (30 commemorative + 1 dedication stone)
Trees Planted: More than 400
Materiality: Portland stone (Dorset) – with no concrete used

About The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is a global leader in commemoration, with a mission to ensure those who died in service, or because of the First and Second World Wars, are commemorated so that they and the human cost of war is remembered forever. Founded by Royal Charter in 1917, the CWGC works on behalf of the Governments of Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom to commemorate more than 1.7 million men and women from the Commonwealth who lost their lives in the two World Wars, across 23,000 locations in more than 150 countries and territories.

photo © Agnese Sanvito

About: Studio Wignall & Moore

Studio Wignall & Moore is an award-winning, RIBA Chartered architecture practice working across heritage, cultural and residential projects throughout the United Kingdom. Founded in 2017 by James Wignall and Bradley Moore, the studio is recognised for creating places and experiences that bring together architecture, craft, landscape and storytelling.

Working at the intersection of conservation and contemporary design, WAM’s projects explore how historic sites, collections and narratives can be reinterpreted for modern audiences. The studio’s work has received national recognition for its ability to captivate audiences through thoughtful and imaginative design, creating projects rooted in history while looking confidently towards the future. Clients include English Heritage, the BBC, National Museums Northern Ireland, the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the Science Museum Group and Liberty London.

Photography © Agnese Sanvito and courtesy of Stonewest Ltd

A Memorial Forest, Surrey, Southern England images / information received 260826

Location: Brookwood Military Cemetery, Pirbright, Brookwood, Woking GU24 0JB, mSurrey, Southeast England, United Kingdom

Phone: +44 1483 474093