The Village’s most familiar Memorial has stood and been at the heart of many Commemoration Services over the past 74 years where it has been subjected to all weathers and environmental conditions serving our community well. It was officially unveiled on July 2^nd, 1952, having been designed by architect Brian Tyler who had recently overseen the design of the then newly built Methodist Church.

Made from Portland Stone, and weighing just over 3 tonnes, the Parish Council took ownership of the Memorial in August 1954.

The Parish Council commissioned The War Memorial Conservation Company to undertake a Condition Report of the Village War Memorial in July 2025.  Sadly, the report confirmed that the original Portland Stone structure had begun to deteriorate significantly year on year, and that the previously applied conservation shelter coats had started to flake away.

The Condition Report did however state that the Portland Stone Memorial had lasted remarkably well over the years considering the proximity to coastal conditions (wind, salt-water, sand abrasion etc.) and the closeness to a main roadway. However, the natural surface-hardening of the Portland limestone has now become penetrated by erosion to such a degree that it would be reasonable to expect a rapid further deterioration over the coming years.

The Council explored various options that may have slowed the deterioration of the Memorial but following further specialist advice it was concluded that the ongoing cost of maintenance would soon likely outweigh the cost of replacement as well as the compromise to the aesthetics of the Memorial as it deteriorated.

A suggested mid-term solution could have been to cut a section out the faces of the blocks, worse effected by the erosion, and replace with new 50mm thick sections of matching Portland stone. However, the Report raised concerns that the number of sections needing to be cut out and replaced would equate to a large percentage of the overall Memorial resulting in it potentially looking quite "patch-work".  The Report also advised that the resulting re-furbished structure may not be secure and stable leading to potential issues in the mid-to-longer term.

Following much detailed consideration the Parish Council decided upon the long-term solution of replacing the Memorial with a matching replica made of Portland Stone.

The existing Memorial will be subject to respectful dismantling, transporting and environmentally responsible disposal.

The carving, engraving and installing of the new replacement Memorial will match and reflect exactly the original Memorial design which had been carefully agreed by the Rustington Community nearly 75 years ago.              

If you have any questions regarding these works, please contact the Parish Council on 01903 786420 or email enquiry@rustington-pc.gov.uk.