Shalford War Memorial Restored Ready for Remembrance Sunday

Published on: 8 Nov, 2024
Updated on: 8 Nov, 2024

Shalford’s restored war memorial by nearby St Mary’s Church. Behind the memorial, fenced off, is the stone workers’ workbench.

By Martin Giles

Shalford’s War Memorial has been reconstructed in time for Sunday’s Remembrance Service.

Work, which started on October 18, was completed just eight days ago (October 31), although the preparatory work had taken several months to complete.

Shalford Parish Council’s Clerk, Nuala Livesay, said the council had faced many challenges to get the work completed, not least funding the project.

She explained that the monument had been knocked down by a car in 2020 and while agreeing how to proceed to effect a repair materials and professional skills costs escalated.

The Shalford War Memorial in pieces in January 2022 after a car travelling from Guildford smashed into it. Photo Rob Lowe

She said: “A Crowdfunder was very helpful in raising £15,000 towards the cost but the first contractor appointed had to withdraw before any work was started due to pressure of other work.

“Planning permission for working on the listed memorial was slow to obtain and sourcing Doulting stone (a Jurassic limestone quarried from near Shepton Mallet south of the Mendips in Somerset) of sufficient quality and quantity also proved difficult and had to be changed after cutting began, due to higher than acceptable levels of venting in the stone.

“There was concern that this would impact the longevity of the stone’s life as water ingress would be a problem and further discussion and agreement for the change was required from the Guildford Borough Council Conservation team.”

Since the original memorial was erected, further names had been added after WWII and a number of additional names were discovered which had not been recorded so in 2010 the parish council added a lectern to the site, still in place, listing the extended record of names.

Another view of the memorial showing the granite plates bearing the names of those commemorated.

The new memorial is a replica of the original and does not have space for the extended list to be fitted on the central stones in a point size that would be legible and long lasting.

Ms Livesey resumed the story: “More discussions with Guildford BC resulted in the agreement to add the names on granite panels, a much more forgiving stone for this type of work. But this also added significantly to the cost which finally came in at £51,325. This funding was made up of an insurance claim, the crowdfunder and council reserves and we are still be happy to receive donations from anyone who might like to support the completion of this work.”

The work was carried out by PAYE Stonework and Restoration, selected by Shalford PC as well known and very experienced professionals in the field, who Ms Livesay said: “…demonstrated their expertise in the smooth completion of the project”.

Shalford War Memorial was erected in 1921 to commemorate the lives of those local people lost in the Great War. The memorial was funded by public donation. The land on which it sits was donated to the parish by Colonel Godwin Austin, a local landowner.

A report in The Surrey Advertiser of the Dedication on Sunday July 17 1921 stated that about 1,000 people assembled to witness the unveiling and dedication of the memorial cross.

One hundred years later, on New Years Eve 2021, as reported in The Guildford Dragon NEWS, a vehicle destroyed the cross and damaged much of the base of the memorial.

See archived stories here.

Douglas Doig wrote to The Dragon NEWS to say: “Well done Shalford Parish Council, the War Memorial is back in time for Remembrance Day. I’ve only driven by in the dark but it is good to see it’s there.

The concrete slot constructed in 1940, when invasion was feared, ready for a steel bar to be inserted to form a road block.

“Perhaps they could also have a go at replacing the plate explaining the history of the WW2 Tank trap or road block adjacent to the Seahorse Pub in The Street, Shalford. It was vandalised a couple of years ago and having been ripped off has disappeared.”