Falkland Memorial is a 33 foot high granite obelisk mounted on stone stepped plinth, design by local architect J H Money (brother of Newbury Historian Walter Money). Situated on a triangle of open grass on the south west corner of the junction between Andover Road (A339) and Essex Street, Wash Common.
It comprises of a square plan form base with cut lettering inscription in memory of Lucius Cary, Viscount Falkland on east face and quotation from Burke, Livy & Thucydides on south, west and north faces. Base topped by octagonal tapering granite block carrying the ciphers of Falkland, Sutherland and Carnarvon. Atop this sits the octagonal obelisk, 33 feet in height, designed to have one foot in length for each year of Falkland’s life.
The stone column appears sound but needs cleaning if the in-cut text is to be legible. Lead lettering was originally inset but this was stolen in the very early years after erection. Some of the large stone blocks of the plinth have slipped out of alignment. The surrounding grass, trees and shrubs are well maintained by the local council.
Some commemoration of the first Battle of Newbury (English Civil War 1643) was first proposed at a meeting of Newbury District Field Club 3rd May 1875. Lord Carnarvon became involved as benefactor. £318.14.00 was raised and JH Money (architect brother of Walter Money FRS) provided his design free of charge. Land for the memorial purchased at Wash Common for £26.00. The Monument was unveiled on 9th Sept 1878 with a meal at the Corn Exchange for 700 people, a grand procession and a speech from Lord Carnarvon.
In 1896 the field club proposed transferring the memorial to the National Trust who subsequently took ownership.
The Falkland Memorial is a significant local landmark located in a prominent position and connected with notable national figures involved in one of the ‘turning point’ battles of the English Civil War on the fields of Newbury.
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