Memorial Archway at Stourbridge War Memorial Athletic Ground

A war memorial archway which forms the entrance to a sports ground, designed by the Stourbridge Borough Surveyor, Geoffrey Ince, at a cost of £220 and unveiled in December 1928.

MATERIALS & PLAN: the archway is of red, Ketley brick, laid in English bond, with stone dressings and a pantiled cap. The gates are cast and wrought iron, made by Hill and Smith of Brierley Hill.

EXTERIOR: both eastern and western faces are similar. The brick arch has banded rustication to the lower body of the piers at either side and this is topped by a projecting band of headers at the level of the springing of the arch. A raised band of stretchers surrounds the semi-circular arch and there is a triple keystone motif of bricks to the head. The spandrels at either side on both the eastern and western flanks have carved stone laurel wreaths in high relief. The wall diminishes in thickness by stages and to the top of the wall is a frieze with panels of raised brickwork. Both sides have a stone panel to the centre, and that on the eastern, road front reads ‘STOURBRIDGE / WAR MEMORIAL / ATHLETIC GROUND’. Above this is a projecting brick cornice and the monument is topped by a hipped cap of pantiles. The west face is similar, except that the central stone plaque is blank. Piers at either side connect to the lateral flanking walls which run N-S. That to the south has a gateway at its southern end flanked by brick piers.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 20 July 2017.