Guist War Memorial
St Andrew's Churchyard, Norwich Road, Guist, Norfolk, NR20 5PQ
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1449569
- Date first listed:
- 01-Sept-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Guist War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- St Andrew's Churchyard, Norwich Road, Guist, Norfolk, NR20 5PQ
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:
- 1449569
- Date first listed:
- 01-Sept-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Guist War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- St Andrew's Churchyard, Norwich Road, Guist, Norfolk, NR20 5PQ
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 Andrew's Churchyard, Norwich Road, Guist, Norfolk, NR20 5PQ
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Norfolk
- District:
- Breckland (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Guist
- National Grid Reference:
- TG0004825563
Summary
First World War memorial with Second World War additions.
Reasons for Designation
Guist war memorial, which is situated in St Andrew’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:
* A well-executed obelisk war memorial;
Group value:
* With the Grade II*-listed Church of St Andrew.
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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Guist as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Like many Norfolk war memorials, the example at Guist was placed within the parish churchyard. The memorial was presumably erected not long after the end of the First World War and commemorates 12 local servicemen who died in that conflict.
A dedication and the names of five men who died in service during the Second World War were added later.
A First World War Roll of Honour is situated inside the Church of St Andrew.
Details
First World War memorial with Second World War additions.
DESCRIPTION: Guist war memorial is located in the churchyard to the south-east of the Church of St Andrew (Grade II*-listed) close to the churchyard wall facing onto Norwich Road.
It takes the form of a stone obelisk rising from a square plinth with moulded foot, upon a two-stepped base. The plinth is surmounted by a gabled cap above a cornice with cavetto.
The faces of the plinth carry the inscriptions and names in raised, leaded lettering. The principal inscription is to the south face and reads TO THE/ GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL/ REMEMBRANCE OF/ THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR US IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914 - 1919./ "THEY WERE A WALL UNTO US/ BOTH BY NIGHT AND DAY." The names of the 12 men who died are listed on the east and west faces.
The north face carries the Second World War inscription ALSO/ FOR THOSE WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES/ 1939 - 1945 / (5 NAMES)
The memorial stands within a square, gravelled area bordered by stone kerbs.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 1 August 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/20050
War Memorials Online, accessed 1 August 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/156773/
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 28-Jun-2026 at 17:25:32.
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.