War Memorial, Main Street, Garvagh, Co. Londonderry

War Memorial, Main Street, Garvagh

A castellated two-stage blackstone tower war memorial designed by Thomas Johnston, commemorating those who lost their lives during the First World War. Constructed in 1923–1924 and located at the southern end of Main Street in Garvagh town centre, it forms an imposing and unusual landmark on entering the town from the south.

The memorial is built of squared rock-faced blackstone with concrete dressings on a square plan, set on a concrete stepped plinth. The lower stage contains a recessed marble inscription plaque to the east engraved with the names of the fallen, and a doorway with metal door and slide bolt to the west. A string course between the two stages is inscribed "For God" (south side), "For King" (east side), and "For Country" (north side). The upper stage is topped by battlements with an attached metal flagpole to the east face. It features a Roman numeral clock face in an incised concrete surround and six recessed rectangular louvered openings arranged 3-2-1 on all four sides. The lintel above the memorial plaque to the east reads "THE GREAT WAR 1914–1918"; that above the west door reads "T.A JOHNSTON. ARCHITECT / TT FLEMING BUILDING CONTRACTOR. GARVAGH / A.L MANN. CLOCK CONTRACTOR / J McAFEE, SCULPTOR, COLERAINE."

The concrete base was laid by June 1923 and building commenced on 3 September 1923. The clock, manufactured by Midland Clock Works of Derby, was installed by February 1924 with assistance from local man A L Mann. It comprises four dials, each three feet in diameter, illuminated at night, and two bells weighing six hundredweight that strike the hour. The unveiling ceremony took place on 27 March 1924, led by Captain Charles Stronge of Lizard Manor, with Mrs Stronge starting the clock.

The memorial was funded entirely by public subscription except for £100, at a total cost of £850. The stonemasons were John Lamont and Robert and Hugh Faith, the latter's brother having been a war casualty. Thirty-two men from Garvagh were killed during the First World War, and in 1919 an unofficial committee was formed to raise funds for a memorial. The form of the memorial was unusual and derived from an earlier plan for a six-sided clock tower designed by John Robinson & Son of Belfast, which was abandoned due to lack of a suitable site and insufficient funds. The present site was given by Edward Stronge of Garvagh House. The memorial carries the names of thirty-three men who died (including Thomas Hall, added after the unveiling having been omitted in error), and a further 139 who returned, including seven nurses. The names of the fallen from the Second World War were subsequently added.

The memorial is prominently sited at the southern end of Main Street, adjacent to and forming an attractive group with the castellated rubble stone boundary walls of Garvagh Museum, formerly the site of Garvagh House. To the southwest are ornate cast-iron gates to Garvagh Museum, supported on tall square rubble stone piers topped by flat caps and ball finials. The memorial is of significant architectural interest and considerable social and historical importance to the local community.