War memorial

The Zetland Park war memorial and park gates, were designed by Sir John James Burnet in 1921 and officially unveiled in 1923. It is a sandstone structure comprising a hollow central cenotaph as the main memorial, with flanking pillars to the east and west dated 1914 (east) and 1919 (west) respectively, with the gates themselves at the extreme east and west ends of the structure. The cenotaph stands 8.2m tall, with openings on the east and west side into the hollow interior.

On top of the cenotaph is an elaborate sculpture of a lion, representing the British Empire, devouring a stricken Eagle, representing Germany. On the north (front) face of the memorial is a carved sandstone cross, above a statement in lead lettering, reading "In proud and grateful memory / of / the Men from Grangemouth / who went forth during these years of War / to fight for God and the Right. / The names of / those who returned not again / are here inscribed", with a further inscription carved into the stone at the base of the north face, reading "To you with failing hands we throw / The torch: be yours to hold it high". On the east, north and west faces of the memorial are the lists of casualties of the First World War, also in lead lettering. To the rear of the cenotaph is a low sandstone wall, originally part of the encircling wall removed during renovations in 1948. Into the south face of this wall were added three new plaques with lead lettering listing the casualties of the Second World War, and below this is a fourth smaller plaque into which is carved the name of a single casualty of the Korean War.

To the east and west of the war memorial, on the edge of the paved area surrounding it, are a pair of square pillars. The eastern example has the date 1914 carved into its north face and the western example has the date 1919 carved on it. Originally these pillars were connected by a low wall and railings to the memorial itself, but this was removed in the 1948 alterations, although evidence of the fence can still be seen on the pillars themselves. From each pillar, a low wall topped with iron railings extend further out to the east and west, where it meets the two ornamental gates to the park. The four gate piers are square sandstone pillars, with a simple decoration on the capitals, and a decorative urn on the top of each pillar. Beyond the gates, a further short section of low wall and railings forms the east and west ends of the structure.