Boer War Memorial, Parramatta Park

The Boer War Memorial is located in a prominent position in Parramatta Park and serves as a landmark both inside and outside the park boundaries. The structure is a comparatively rare memorial to the Boer War, which was the first overseas engagement of troops representing a federated Australia.

The component parts of the memorial are themselves significant: the four fluted sandstone Doric columns, entablature blocks and cornice are all from Mortimer Lewis's Parramatta Court House (built 1837; reused 1891). A symbolic broken column is inside the columns. The sandstone base steps down to a sandstone paved surround with a wrought iron fence made by T. Forsyth. The base has white marble infills with the names of the dead. The gun on top of the memorial is believed to be one of the six nine-pounder field guns purchased by NSW in 1856 for the defence of Port Jackson; the two cast iron guns located either side of the memorial are also believed to have been purchased at this time.

The foundation stone for the memorial was laid on 14 November 1903 and the memorial was unveiled on 23 April 1904. A subscription was raised when the troops left for South Africa to fulfil a promise to provide a worthy memorial. At the time there was a considerable anti-British, pro-Boer element in Australia and even the Government intially opposed participation by Australia in the South African war. The memorial stands as a reminder of the widely different attitudes present around the time of Federation.

The Boer War Memorial is included on the Section 170 Heritage Register of Parramatta Park Trust and is within the curtilage of the UNESCO World Heritage Listing for Old Government House and Domain, the Australian Government World and National Heritage Listings for Old Government House Domain, the NSW Government State Heritage Register and the City of Parramatta's schedule of local heritage items for Parramatta Park.