Great Dunmow War Memorial is set to undergo cleaning and conservation to preserve it for future generations.

The memorial, which has stood in the town centre for more than a century, has eroded significantly over the past 20 years.

A task and finish group organised by the town council has met regularly over the past 13 months.

Next week, the memorial will be cleaned, the base repointed and a sacrificial 'shelter coat' applied to protect the stone surface from further erosion.

The group was hoping to recut the names that are no longer legible and sharpen the rest, but this is not possible because of the type and condition of the stone surface.

A number of options are now being considered to ensure the names are not forgotten - such as a dedicated web page accessible through the town council website including all the memorials and Commonwealth war graves within the parish of Great Dunmow.

The council is also considering commissioning a memorial to honour those killed in service since the Second World War.

Anyone who knows of any former parish residents who should be considered for the memorial can email the Royal British Legion Branch secretary on dunmow.secretary@rbl.community or telephone the town clerk on 01371 872406.

Cllr Kay Puddick, chair of the task and finish group, said: "The cleaning and conservation project is very dear to me as my father served in World War II.

"He was fortunate to survive, it is important for the parish of Great Dunmow to remember and honour those killed or injured when in service to our country."

The memorial was first unveiled on July 17, 1921, and is a Grade II listed building. It lists 85 names of those killed during WWI and 25 names of those killed in WWII - the latter of which were cut to the original design by Joseph Cribb in 1946.

Names of the fallen are also remembered on two memorials in the parish church.

Plans had previously been made to clean the memorial in 2023, however - due to the memorial's listing - advice had to be sought from the local planning authority and Historic England.

This necessitated a condition report, listed building consent, a biodiversity checklist, a design and access statement, a location plan and a schedule of works to be undertaken by an Institute of Conservation (ICON) accredited member.

The council has thanked Mrs Burton, Cllrs Puddick, James and Jones, Mr Coleman, Mr Moore and RBL representatives Mrs Search, Mr Ford, Mrs Wood, Mrs Wooddisse and Mrs Flynn.

READ MORE

Work to clean and conserve the memorial is due to start on Tuesday, August 6 for up to five days.

For the safety of the public and the specialist conservation contractor, New Street will be closed from the junction with the High Street up to Harmans Yard between 8am and 5pm on August 6 and 7.

A traffic diversion will be in place, and New Street and the adjacent businesses will still be accessible to pedestrians along the pavements.