Brunner Mond Lostock Gralam (Northwich) War Memorial

First World War memorial of 1921 with Second World War additions, by Darcy Braddell for Brunner Mond.

MATERIALS: Portland stone, bronze.

PLAN: a rectangular enclosure with projecting quadrant walls.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial, which faces west, comprises a rectangular paved area which is enclosed on three sides by ashlar walls 6 feet high, with low quadrant walls attached to western corner piers, and a central engaged obelisk 10 feet high.

The obelisk tapers on all three sides and has three carved channels near the base and a corniced top surmounted by a stone Latin cross. The front corners are indented, with pendant bronze garlands in the angles below the cornice. A bronze laurel wreath is fixed to the face. Beneath this is the incised inscription, with partial black infilling:

TO THE/ GLORIOUS/ MEMORY OF/ THE MEN FROM/ THESE WORKS/ WHO FELL/ IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914 1919/

AND IN THE/ WORLD WAR/ 1939 1945

The rear and side walls have cavetto-moulded copings with foliate carving on the overhang. This continues around the caps of the corner piers, the piers tapering slightly and having rusticated joints. The quadrant walls have moulded copings and tapering terminal piers. Low stone slabs form benches infilling between the corner piers and the rear wall. Indented above these in the return walls are bronze plaques (one on each wall) with the names of the four Fallen of the Second World War, and above these are the incised dates of that war. At the outer edges of the rear wall are carvings of paired flaming torches with a laurel wreath. Between these and the obelisk, two per side, are bronze plaques with the names of the Fallen of the First World War, totalling 85 and listed alphabetically by surname with units but not ranks. The plaques are framed by carved rolls of bound laurel leaves.

The rectangular area is paved with artificial stone, while the strip between the quadrant walls has concrete flags.