Guildford War Memorial

Heritage listing

Details The memorial stands in Guildford Castle gardens, on the northern side of the Bowling Green. Overlooked by the Grade I listed Castle Keep and remains of the Shell Keep, it forms the southern side of a small Garden of Remembrance. Within the castle grounds but outside the scheduled area, it is in close proximity to a number of listed buildings including the Grade II listed Gas Lamp in the Garden of Remembrance. The memorial is approached from the south by a rake of three steps. The limestone memorial takes the form of a broad Classical archway, the entablature supported by piers at either end, square on plan with inside pilasters, with two Tuscan columns inside, flanking the later Second World War memorial. The entablature is surmounted by two stone urns at either end. The south-facing frieze is inscribed: TO OUR GLORIOUS DEAD, whilst the north-facing frieze bears the inscription: THEIR NAME LIVETH. Above the piers, the dates of the First and Second World Wars are recorded on the frieze on projecting panels reading, to the west: MCMXIV/ MCMXVIII and to the east: MCMXXXIX/ MCMXLV. The south face of each pier is ornamented with a relief carving of a reversed sword, the hilt and cross-guard encircled by a laurel wreath. The commemorated First World War names are recorded on Portland stone panels on the other faces of the piers. The Second World War memorial standing inside the archway takes the form of a pedestal, square on plan. The south face of the cap is inscribed: 1939 – 1945/ IN REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE GUILDFORDIANS/ WHO DIED IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR, whilst the other faces are inscribed: 1939 · 1945. The commemorated names are listed on each face of the die.

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.