Southwold War Memorial

The Southwold War Memorial was built in 1921 to commemorate the First World War, with subsequent additions to remember those who died in the Second World War. It was sculpted by Messrs RJ Allen and Son of Southwold. The memorial is constructed from rock-faced granite and is square in plan. It stands in the north-east corner of Bartholomew Green, alongside the gates to the Church of St Edmund.

The memorial features a four-stepped base leading to a trapezoidal plinth bearing leaded inscriptions on all four polished faces. A tall, tapering rectangular shaft rises from the plinth, culminating in a Celtic wheel-head cross. A relief carving of the Sword of Sacrifice is on the east face. The east face of the plinth bears the First World War dedication, reading ‘1914 – 1918 / TO THE IMMORTAL MEMORY OF OUR / FELLOW TOWNS MEN WHO FELL IN THE / GREAT WAR / [Names]’, with further names inscribed on the west face. The north face is dedicated to the Second World War, listing the names of those who died in service, while the south face commemorates civilians killed during enemy action, also listing their names.

The memorial is set within an octagonal lawned area edged with granite kerb stones and a chain link fence supported by cast iron bollards.