Northampton Borough War Memorial

The Northampton Borough War Memorial was designed by Sir John Brown of Brown and Henson and erected in 1936 to commemorate the First World War. Later, after 1945, names of those who died in subsequent conflicts were added.

The memorial is constructed from brick and tile. It takes the form of a large concave brick wall, with a colonnaded walkway running along its western face. The walkway has a flat brick roof supported by six moderne tiled columns along the front. The rear wall of the walkway contains a Roll of Honour situated above two bench seats, separated by a grey, altar-like stone. The walkway is enclosed by iron barred panels, each decorated with three gilt wreaths; a central panel provides access via a gate. Inside the walkway, there are five circular light wells, each containing circular glass blocks.

The central panel on the rear wall features the inscription “COUNTY BOROUGH OF NORTHAMPTON,” followed by the crest of Northampton – a castle flanked by two lions on a red field with the motto “CASTELLO FORTIOR CONCORDIA.” Below this, the words "HEREON ARE INSCRIBED THE NAMES OF / THE CITIZENS OF THIS BOROUGH / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES DURING THE / GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918 / THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED DURING / THE CORONATION YEAR OF HIS MAJESTY / KING GEORGE VI / LEST WE FORGET” are inscribed. The grey altar-like stone underneath is inscribed with lines from Laurence Binyon’s “For the Fallen.” An inscription also acknowledges that the Northampton branch of the British Legion and their friends funded the panels and the inscription of the names. The names of those who died in the First World War are recorded on stone tablets to either side, with additional panels commemorating those lost in later conflicts.

The memorial is situated opposite the Edgar Mobbs war memorial and forms the eastern edge of a triangular public garden.