County of Kent War Memorial Cross

The County of Kent War Memorial Cross is a Grade II* listed structure made of Portland stone, located in the Memorial Garden to the east of Christchurch Cathedral, which is itself Grade I listed, and within the scheduled City Walls. The memorial, approximately 6 meters tall, features a design by Sir Herbert Baker known as the Ypres Cross or Cross of Lorraine. It consists of a wheel-head cross that rises from a short-armed Latin cross, all set on an octagonal shaft. The wheel-head is adorned with a circlet of roses and lilies, symbolizing England and France, which trail down the shaft. On the east face of the Latin cross, there is a carving of a warship with billowing sails, while the west face features a reversed sword.

The cross shaft culminates in a moulded foot, which rests on a drum-like plinth that is octagonal in shape and has a shallow circular head. This plinth is supported by a three-stepped base, where the upper step is significantly deeper than the two lower steps. The entire structure is positioned on an octagonal pavement at the center of the memorial garden, accessible via paved paths that divide the garden lawns into quadrants.

The main dedicatory inscription is carved in relief around the circular head of the plinth, which reads: "TO THE SACRED MEMORY OF THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF KENT WHO DIED IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919."