Horsham Carfax War Memorial, including brick wall with name tablets and low wall with low iron fence

The memorial consists of a two-stepped base surmounted by a plinth and obelisk, with a large Runic cross incised at the top. A large bronze Crusader's sword is attached to the front west face of the obelisk pointing down. The entire assembly is 17ft high constructed from Hopton Wood stone. The lower base reads ‘IN PROUD AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN OF HORSHAM WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY’. The north face contains the inscription ‘THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918’; whilst the opposite south side reads ‘THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1945’.

The memorial is set within a 12m by 5m area. Behind the obelisk is a brick wall with name tablets set into it. The rest of the area around the obelisk is surrounded by a low wall with a low iron fence on top. The tops of the railings depict poppies in various stages of bloom. On the outer aspect of the rear wall there are a series of ornate metal sculptures, each showing a different theme, sculpted by Edwin Russell. A central stone block on the rear wall has carved in large letters ‘IN PIAM MEMORIAM’. All of these structures contribute to the special interest of the principal structure.

It originally had the names of 359 men, who died in the First World War inscribed on three panels around the base of the obelisk, but by 1929 the names on the panels had become worn so it was decided to inscribe the names on a separate stone wall in accordance with a plan produced by C G Atkinson.

The obelisk was moved to its present position in Carfax in the early 1990s, when the names of the soldiers, who died in the Second World War, were added. The memorial was also extended in 2010 and now includes an additional 60 names from the First World War.

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, 5 December 2016.