Sidlesham War Memorial
Churchyard of the Church of St Mary Our Lady, Church Lane, Sidlesham, West Sussex, PO20 7RH
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1441567
- Date first listed:
- 06-Feb-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Sidlesham War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Churchyard of the Church of St Mary Our Lady, Church Lane, Sidlesham, West Sussex, PO20 7RH
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1441567
- Date first listed:
- 06-Feb-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Sidlesham War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Churchyard of the Church of St Mary Our Lady, Church Lane, Sidlesham, West Sussex, PO20 7RH
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:
- Churchyard of the Church of St Mary Our Lady, Church Lane, Sidlesham, West Sussex, PO20 7RH
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- West Sussex
- District:
- Chichester (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Sidlesham
- National Grid Reference:
- SZ8552499079
Summary
First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Sidlesham War Memorial 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 sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a simple yet dignified granite obelisk;
* Group value: with the Church of St Mary (Grade I) and Church Gate Cottage (Grade II).
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. One such memorial was raised at Sidlesham in the 1920s as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 20 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The addition commemorating the 20 service personnel who lost their lives in the Second World War was dedicated in November 1948. It is exceptional for the community to have lost as many of its members in the Second World War as in the First.
In 2002 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.
Details
MATERIALS: rough-hewn granite.
DESCRIPTION: Sidlesham War Memorial is located within the churchyard of the Church of St Mary, Sidlesham. It consists of a squat obelisk on a square plinth. It is set within a small kerbed enclosure.
On the front face, a tablet carved in the form of a scroll carries the inscription in painted lettering SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF THE MEN/ OF THIS PARISH WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (NAMES)/ THEY DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE.
The raked block added at the foot of the plinth carries the inscription AND TO THE MEMORY OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THIS/ PARISH WHO MADE THE GREAT SACRIFICE 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES)/ "AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM".
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Trust, accessed 9 Nov 2016 from www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=284
War Memorials Online, accessed 9 Nov 2016 from www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/84332
War Memorials Register, accessed 9 Nov 2016 from www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/40187
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 08-Jun-2026 at 13:48:15.
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.