Chichester War Memorial
Litten Gardens, St Pancras Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8EY
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1429864
- Date first listed:
- 02-Nov-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Chichester War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Litten Gardens, St Pancras Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8EY
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1429864
- Date first listed:
- 02-Nov-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Chichester War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Litten Gardens, St Pancras Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8EY
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Litten Gardens, St Pancras Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8EY
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- West Sussex
- District:
- Chichester (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Chichester
- National Grid Reference:
- SU8657304946
Summary
War memorial by the architectural practice of Unsworth & Triggs, unveiled 1921. Additional details added after the Second World War, and moved from Eastgate Square to Litten Gardens in 1940.
Reasons for Designation
Chichester War Memorial, 1921, designed by the architects Unsworth & Triggs, moved to its current position in 1940, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the ultimate sacrifice made by so many from the Chichester area in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: a large intricate memorial displaying high quality carving of motifs and detailing, by notable local architects Unsworth & Triggs.
History
This List entry has been amended to add sources for further reading (05/12/2016)
The war memorial, in remembrance of those from the Chichester area who fell in the First World War, was unveiled by Field Marshal Sir William R Robertson Bart GCB GCMG KCVO DSO in July 1921. Robertson Bart was at the time the most senior officer in the British Army having uniquely served in every rank from Private to Field Marshal.
The memorial was designed by the distinguished local architectural practice of Unsworth & Triggs of Petersfield which was also responsible for the design of a number of buildings in the south of England, including war memorials such as Petersfield Memorial (1922), Woking War Memorial (1920), and Steep War Memorial (1918), all Grade II-listed.
The memorial was made by the mason E F Perriman of Petersfield, and was originally erected in Eastgate Square, Chichester. Due to road layout changes it was moved a short distance to the current site in The Litten in 1940 where crazy paving extends beyond the dwarf wall surrounding the monument and forms the main access path, which in turn is bordered by grass falling away to park flower beds.
The names of the First World War fallen are carved into 16 vertical tablets forming the base of the monument. After the Second World War four more horizontal stone tablets were added at the base of the monument recording the fallen of this subsequent conflict.
Details
MATERIALS: Portland stone, slate
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is in the southern section of Litten Gardens and stands at the termination of a path. It is on a circular mound, and surrounded by a curvilinear limestone dwarf wall intersected by four stepped access paths.
The base of the memorial is octagonal in form and consists of two steps separated by a concave moulding. In turn vertical plaques form a 16-sided base with a dentil cornice, which supports the central shaft. Four buttress piers extending from the base are surmounted by pyramidal, crocketted finials.
The central shaft is octagonal and surmounted by an elaborately carved wheel-head cross. This is supported by four right angled carved brackets that frame the cross. The terminals of the cross are enriched with carved foliage, and the centre of the cross displays a rose motif.
A central south facing plaque, situated between Roll of Honour plaques, carries the carved inscription IN GRATEFUL/ REMEMBRANCE/ OF THE MEN OF/ CHICHESTER/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-19/ 1939-1945. The plaque also shows a carved relief of the Chichester coat of arms.
The 16 First World War Roll of Honour plaques are inscribed with the names of the 353 who fell. They are listed by military organisation and record the 60 different units in which they served.
At the base of the monument four Second World War plaques lie horizontally on the ground facing north, east, south, and west. They are inscribed with the names of the 255 men who fell in this subsequent conflict.
This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 5 December 2016
Sources
Books and journals
War Memorial in Chichester Observer, Vol. Unknown, (16th November 1940), Unknown
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 20/05/2015 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/16886
Roll of Honour, West Sussex - Chichester, accessed 10/06/2015 from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Sussex/Chichester.html
Western Front Association, accessed 27/06/2015 from http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/the-great-war/great-war-on-land/john-terraine-essays-on-leadership-and-war-1914-18/425-wully-robertson.html
War Memorials Online, accessed 05/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/107041
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 09-Jun-2026 at 23:40:33.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.