Frettenham War Memorial
St Swithin's churchyard, Church Lane, Frettenham, Norfolk, NR12 7NW
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1443388
- Date first listed:
- 15-Mar-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Frettenham War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- St Swithin's churchyard, Church Lane, Frettenham, Norfolk, NR12 7NW
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1443388
- Date first listed:
- 15-Mar-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Frettenham War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- St Swithin's churchyard, Church Lane, Frettenham, Norfolk, NR12 7NW
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:
- St Swithin's churchyard, Church Lane, Frettenham, Norfolk, NR12 7NW
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Norfolk
- District:
- Broadland (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Frettenham
- National Grid Reference:
- TG2447618522
Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled 1921, with additions for the Second World War. Stone obelisk on a tapering plinth with three-stepped base.
Reasons for Designation
Frettenham War Memorial, situated in St Swithin’s churchyard, 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: as a simple but well-executed stone obelisk;
* Group value: with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Swithin.
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. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Frettenham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The memorial obelisk was unveiled in January 1921 by Mr John Cator, High Sheriff of Norfolk, and dedicated by the Dean of Norwich. It commemorates ten local servicemen who fell in the First World War and (since the addition of a small metal plaque in c2012) three who fell in the Second World War.
Details
MATERIALS: Stone obelisk.
DESCRIPTION: Frettenham War Memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Swithin's (Grade II*-listed). It is situated at the foot of the church tower, adjacent to the south porch. The memorial comprises a slender stone obelisk, square on plan, on a tapering four-sided plinth with three-stepped base below. The south face of the plinth bears the inscriptions in incised lettering. A small metal plaque repeating the First World War names and recording Second World War names is fixed to the west face of the plinth.
The principal dedicatory inscription reads IN MEMORY/ OF/ OUR BRAVE DEAD/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 - 1918/ (10 NAMES). The later plaque reads 1914 – 1918/ (10 NAMES)/ 1939 – 1945/ (3 NAMES).
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 10 January 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/19662
War Memorials Online, accessed 10 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/210019/
Other
"Frettenham memorial...", Thetford and Watton Times and People's Weekly Journal, 8 January 1921, p8
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 14-Jun-2026 at 11:37:27.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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