Northiam War Memorial

The Northiam War Memorial commemorates the individuals from the village who died in the First and Second World Wars. Attributed to the architect Sir Guy (Edward) Dawber (1861-1938), it was erected in 1920/21 at a cost of £400.

The memorial begins with a base of brick, 0.28 metres deep, with stone paving at the top. Above this is a two-tiered octagonal stone plinth, rising to a total height of 1.25 metres. A 3.4-metre high, octagonal oak column, 0.5 metres wide and deep, rises from the plinth and is buttressed to half its height by four rectangular oak obelisks. These obelisks are braced to the column by decorative ribs. The pinnacle of the monument is a wooden statue of St. George slaying a dragon.

The octagonal plinth is inscribed with dedicatory lines and the names of those who died. An inscription encircling the top reads: 'IN MEMORY / OF NORTHIAM / MEN WHO GAVE / THEIR LIVES / FOR THEIR / COUNTRY IN / THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918'. A further inscription, carved across all sides of the base, continues: 'YOUR LOT THE GLORIOUS PRICE / TO PAY / OURS TO RECORD WITH GRATEFUL / PRIDE / THAT FREEDOM LIES ON EARTH / TODAY / BECAUSE YOU DIED / 1939 - 1945 / (Names)'. The memorial lists the names of 33 men lost in the First World War; the names of the eight lost in the Second World War were added later, along with the dates 1939-1945. The names of those who fell in the First World War are also recorded on a tablet within the Parish Church. The memorial is considered to be a well-executed, elegantly designed example of a war memorial, notable for its wooden construction by a renowned architect, and an important witness to the impact of wartime events on the local community.