Welsford-Parker Monument

The Welsford-Parker Monument is a memorial in Halifax featuring a stone arch with a carved lion statue on top. The structure stands at the entrance of the Old Burying Ground cemetery and displays careful stonework and sculptural detail.

The memorial was built in 1860 to honor two military officers who died in 1855 during the siege of Sebastopol. It represents how Canada processed losses from a distant war fought earlier in the century.

The monument expresses how Canadians honored soldiers who died far from home in a distant conflict. Its presence in a burial ground shows the importance placed on remembering these losses locally.

The memorial sits in the Old Burying Ground, which opens from dawn to dusk during the warmer months. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear since the cemetery grounds are uneven and can be slippery in wet conditions.

This is the only Crimean War memorial in all of North America and was funded through community donations and government support. The lion carved atop the arch is an uncommon detail for war memorials built during this era in Canada.