Ferring War Memorial

Summary

War memorial. 1921 by local mason Francis Tate. Altered following the Second World War with an additional plinth and base by Geoffrey Claridge.

Reasons for Designation

Ferring War Memorial, designed by Francis Tate and unveiled in 1921, with later additions by Geoffrey Claridge, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: as a dignified example of a popular form of war memorial by a local monumental mason.

History

The memorial, commemorating those from the village of Ferring who fell in the First World War, was erected on land donated to Ferring Parish Council by Mrs G L Henty. It was designed by a local monumental mason, Francis Tate of Worthing, and dedicated in 1921 by Reverend Hector William Grepe. Two stone memorial urns were placed either side of the memorial later in the 1920s.

After the Second World War the memorial was modified by the addition of a lower plinth, designed by local architect Geoffrey Claridge, containing the names of the fallen from that conflict, and the original two-tier base was replaced. A small Garden of Remembrance was also added to the south of the memorial. In 1985 a flag pole was added and in 2002 the area around the memorial was re-paved.

Details

War memorial. 1921 by local mason, Francis Tate. Altered following the Second World War with additional plinth and base by Geoffrey Claridge.

MATERIALS: granite and polished stone.

DESCRIPTION: situated on the south side of the junction between Ferring Street and Sea Lane, the 4m high memorial takes the form of a rough-hewn granite Latin cross standing on the original rough-hewn domed plinth. This rests on a later tapered polished stone plinth and two-tier base. The lower tier of the base has a paving stone coping.

The inset front face of the original plinth bears the inscription ‘IN HONOURED MEMORY OF’ followed by the names of the five fallen, with their regiments/arms of service, and the further inscription ‘WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918’. The front face of the later plinth bears the inscription ‘ALSO IN HONOURED MEMORY OF’ followed by the names of nine fallen and the further inscription ‘WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE 1939-1945 WAR’. On the two sides of the lower plinth are a further 16 names of the fallen of the Second World War, giving 25 names in total.

The area of stone paving surrounding the memorial, the Garden of Remembrance to the south, the flagpole and the two stone commemoration urns are not of special interest and are not included in the listing.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 14 January 2021 to correct date of construction.

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, 5 December 2016.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Trust - Ferring (2002), accessed 27 May 2015 from http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=286
War Memorials Register, accessed 05/12/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/16595
War Memorials Online, accessed 05/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/107329

End of official list entry

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