Blo Norton War Memorial

First World War memorial, 1920, with Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: Doulting stone; flint and red brick platform.

DESCRIPTION: Blo Norton war memorial is located on a small green just outside St Andrew’s churchyard at the junction of Church Lane and The Street. To the south is the Grade II-listed Church of St Andrew, while to the north is the Grade II-listed Church Farmhouse.

The memorial is of Doulting stone and takes the form of a Latin cross with flower and foliate relief-carved detailing at the end of each cross-arm. The cross has a slender, hexagonal shaft that rises from a hexagonal pedestal with moulded foot and a sloped cap; the cap is gabled at three sides. Carved in relief to each face of the pedestal are six painted heraldic shields, which represent the Royal Arms of King George V (north-west face), East Anglia (west face), Diocese of Norwich (south-west face), the County of Norfolk (south-east face), the Duke of Norfolk (east face), and St Andrew (north-east face). This surmounts a hexagonal plinth upon a single step hexagonal base. The whole is raised up on a platform of regular-coursed, rough-dressed flint with narrow, red brick quoins supported by a wide hexagonal foundation, also of brick.

The plinth bears the inscriptions and names in incised lettering, painted black. The principal inscription reads in an anticlockwise direction around the upper half of the plinth, TO COMMEMORATE THE/ PEACE 1919 AND IN EVER/ GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF (north-west face). (2 NAMES)/ WHO ALONE OF (west face). THE TWENTY SEVEN MEN/ OF THIS VILLAGE SERVING/ IN THE GREAT WAR (south-west face). MADE THE SUPREME/ SACRIFICE AND ENSURED/ THE FINAL VICTORY(south-east face). THIS CROSS THE EMBLEM/ OF THEIR FAITH AND/ OURS WAS ERECTED BY (east face). THE INHABITANTS OF/ BLO NORTON (north-east face). The letters ‘T’ and ‘H’ of the word “THE” at the start of the inscription of the south-west face are merged together. A shield with a cross design is to the right-hand corner of the west face.

The Second World War inscription is directly below and reads in an anticlockwise direction around the lower half of the plinth, ALSO OF (north-west face). (3 NAMES) (west face). WHO OF THE TWENTY SEVEN/ MEN AND WOMEN SERVING IN/ THE WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945 (south-west face). MADE THE SUPREME/ SACRIFICE (south-east face).