Irchester War Memorial

The war memorial, of limestone on a sandstone base, stands in an elevated railed garden off High Street. It comprises a 5m tall, square-sectioned, pillar surmounted by a capstone with an out-sailing cornice, on which is raised a domed cap. A small Latin cross rises from the top.

A large slate panel to the front face is inscribed OUR GLORIOUS DEAD, with the names of the 76 fallen beneath. ‘FOR EVER IN OUR THOUGHTS’ is inscribed below. On the stage beneath the main pillar a slate panel is inscribed WORLD WAR II. 1939 - 1945 (17 NAMES).

A slate panel on the rear of the pillar is inscribed ERECTED/ BY/ PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION/ IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE IRCHESTER MEN/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN/ THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919. A sloping stone panel at the base of the front of the monument commemorates nine villagers killed in an air raid on 20 May 1941.

The memorial is approached by steps flanked by metre-high limestone walls. Around it is a sloping memorial garden contemporary with the memorial, defined by iron railings; decorative gates give access to the steps. Two modern flagpoles have been erected either side of the memorial at the top of the garden.

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, 17 January 2017. This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 4 January 2022 to correct a typo in the address