War Memorial, Grand Street / Mill Street, Hilden, Lisburn, Co. Antrim

War Memorial, Hilden

A free-standing war memorial erected around 1920 and set upon a raised grassy island at the junction of Mill Street and Grand Street in the village of Hilden, County Antrim. The memorial was constructed to commemorate soldiers from Hilden, Glenmore, and Lambeg who lost their lives in the First World War.

The monument is executed in Portland stone ashlar and takes a hexagonal form, rising to a domed top. It rests on a pedestal formed by two hexagonal steps. A hexagonal band beneath the dome carries the principal inscription: "Erected in abiding and grateful memory of the men from Hilden, Glenmore, and Lambeg who gave their lives in defence of empire home and liberty in the Great War of 1914-1918. May the undying memory of their devotion be to all who read the names an inspiration to serve their country promote its welfare and give thought for peace and happiness."

Below the inscription band are three stylised buttresses. The alternate sides between these buttresses form three recessed panels, each bearing bronze plaques with the names of 117 fallen soldiers. Beneath each bronze panel is an inscribed stone bearing the place name of origin: 'Glenmore' to the northwest, 'Hilden' to the east, and 'Lambeg' to the southwest. The design expresses Art Deco architectural styles of the period, combined with classical mouldings, and adds a decorative early twentieth-century element to the streetscape.

The memorial is set within a raised island laid out in grass and enclosed by a low redbrick wall with three cast-iron bell-shaped bollards at the corners.

The memorial originated from the efforts of a guild formed by women from the three villages during the First World War. This guild collected funds and sent parcels and comforts to soldiers at the front. After the war ended, with money remaining in their fund, the guild decided to perpetuate the memory of the fallen by commissioning bronze plaques bearing their names, placed in a suitable location in the locality. The memorial first appears on the fourth edition Ordnance Survey map of 1920–1.