Description

This List entry has been amended to add sources for further reading (30/11/2016)

SANDWICH

752/0/10014 MARKET STREET
13-JAN-11 SANDWICH WAR MEMORIAL

GV II
First World War memorial with plaques added for subsequent conflicts, unveiled 1920. Designed by Omar Ramsden (1873-1939).

MATERIALS: Red brick and rag stone with bronze deep-relief plaques.

EXTERIOR: Standing approximately 3.2m high and 3.5m wide, the memorial comprises a wall, arranged like a triptych, with a central panel and two canted flanking panels, which sit on a random rubble rag stone plinth. Two steps fill the space before the memorial, which is partially enclosed by the angle of the left and right sections of wall.

A central bronze plaque in deep relief features a dramatic depiction of St George slaying the Dragon, above which a bronze inscription tablet bears the Sandwich town crest, and the words: 1914 / 1919 / TO THOSE MEN OF THIS TOWN / WHO WENT FORTH TO FIGHT FOR / GOD, KING AND COUNTRY / AND CAME NOT BACK AGAIN. To either side is a bronze panel bearing the Roll of Honour, there are 87 names in total on these plaques.

Three secondary plaques have been added beneath the three original plaques. These carry a Roll of Honour for those that fell in the Second World War, 1939-1945, the Korean War, 1950-1953, and the Falklands Conflict, 1982.

HISTORY: The memorial's architect, working from Ramsden's drawings, was Ernest May, and it was built by local bricklayer Henry (Harry) Barlow. The memorial was unveiled by Alderman George Christopher Solley.

Omar Ramsden ran a successful silver workshop in Chelsea during the early C20 and is principally recognised for his silver design which evocatively combined traditional and modern styles. However he also took pride in being able to work in any metal, and after the First World War he undertook a number of bronze war memorials.

SOURCES
E Eldred, "The Creative Designs of Omar Ramsden", Antiques Magazine, Issue 897 (10-16 November 2001), 54-55
A Shannon and M Wilson, entry for Omar Ramsden, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, www.oxforddnb.com, accessed 18 June 2010
United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, www.ukniwm.org.uk accessed, 18 June 2010

REASON FOR DESIGNATION
Sandwich war memorial is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by this community in the First World War, and subsequent conflicts, it is of strong historic and cultural significance both at a local and a national level.
* Artistic interest: the high-relief plaque, by Omar Ramsden is a dramatic piece of sculpture.

Reasons for Listing

Yes list at Grade II

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26675193

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
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  For the Record
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  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
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  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover