Northwold War Memorial
High Street, Northwold, Norfolk, IP26 5LA
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1456002
- Date first listed:
- 08-Aug-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Northwold War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- High Street, Northwold, Norfolk, IP26 5LA
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:
- 1456002
- Date first listed:
- 08-Aug-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Northwold War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- High Street, Northwold, Norfolk, IP26 5LA
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:
- High Street, Northwold, Norfolk, IP26 5LA
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Norfolk
- District:
- King's Lynn and West Norfolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Northwold
- National Grid Reference:
- TL7551197025
Summary
First World War memorial within an enclosure, 1920, with Second World War additions.
Reasons for Designation
Northwold War Memorial, which is situated in a roadside enclosure on the north side of the High Street, close to the Church of St Andrew, 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 local community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* as a plain but well-executed stone cross with relief-carved inscriptions.
Group value:
* with the Grade I-listed Church of St Andrew and several Grade II-listed tombs in the churchyard, the Grade II-listed Linden Cottage and Grade II-listed 44 High Street opposite the memorial, as well as several other listed buildings on the High Street.
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 Northwold as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Northwold War Memorial commemorates 30 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and nine men who fell in the Second World War. It was paid for by public subscription at a cost of £180 on land donated by F C Fendick of Elm House, Northwold. The architect was T D Atkinson of Cambridge and the memorial was erected by masons J Whitehead of Kennington, London. It was unveiled on Sunday, 25 July 1920. The enclosure appears to be original and can be seen on photographs of the unveiling.
In 2013, the war memorial was renovated by the Parish Council including the affixing of contrasting black granite plaques that replicated the original weathered inscription.
Details
First World War memorial, 1920.
DESCRIPTION: Northwold War Memorial is located in a roadside enclosure on the north side of the High Street, close to the Church of St Andrew, Northwold, Norfolk. It comprises a plain Latin cross in Weldon limestone, which stands upon a three-tiered plinth with moulded upper edges, on a single-stepped base. It stands within a railed enclosure bounded by a semi-circular brick wall at the back. It is approached through a gate in the railings.
A sloping step with a new inscription slab was added following the Second World War; this was placed on the base at the foot of the front of the memorial. In 2013, the surface of this was replaced with black granite slabs, and the First World War inscriptions were replicated on similar panels that were affixed around the middle-tier of the plinth.
The original First World War inscription is carved in relief and reads IN UNDYING MEMORY/ OF THE NORTHWOLD MEN WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES FOR KING AND COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE/ ERECTED BY THE PARISHIONERS/ (NAMES). The original Second World War inscription was incised and blacked and read IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL IN/ WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES).
The 2013 polished granite black plaques are incised and painted white and read IN UNDYING MEMORY OF THE NORTHWOLD MEN/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR KING AND COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE/ ERECTED BY THE PARISHIONERS/ (NAMES)/ IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL/ IN WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES).
Sources
Websites
War Memorial Register, accessed 26 March 2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/53458
War Memorials Online, accessed 26 March 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/140300/
Other
Thetford & Watton Times and People's Weekly Journal, Saturday 31 July 1920, p1
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 20-Jun-2026 at 18:52:39.
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.