Bespoke Railings, Netteswell Memorial, Town Square, Harlow

Netteswell War Memorial commemorates the residents of Netteswell and Burnt Mill who were killed or went missing in action during the World Wars.

The memorial garden is located on a village green, opposite a busy public house which meant clientele often spilled out into the streets and onto the unfenced garden area around the war memorial. The area is also located next to a busy road and with so much public usage, it was beginning to look untidy and local residents had become concerned by the declining appearance of this much treasured memorial garden.

Harlow Council felt it was important to renovate the memorial and create a secluded area where respect could be paid to the war dead and ceremonies could be carried out on special days, such as Remembrance Sunday.

Landscape architects Groundwork Hertfordshire worked closely with Harlow Council and Southern Landscapes and to design a new landscaped area, which would be surrounded by high quality railings to protect the area, make it more secluded and private, and more be-fitting of a war memorial.

Following the Remembrance theme, the architects wanted to incorporate poppies into the design of the decorative railings. Main contractor Southern Landscapes commissioned Alpha Rail to create the decorative railings on all four sides of the war memorial and our team of bespoke fabricators were able to manufacture everything to the architect’s exact requirements.

In total, 35m of railings were supplied fully galvanised and powder coated in black. The design used two heights of railings of 2500mm and 1531mm to ensure the garden can be seen and enjoyed from outside, whilst also allowing a sense of privacy. Incorporating a poppy design in to the railings has added further emphasis to the purpose of the memorial. Prior to the Remembrance Sunday commemorations, the contractor painted some of the poppies red to add further emphasis.

The garden has also been carefully planted with Rosemary and other shrubs that were carefully chosen to ensure all-year-round blooms to symbolise remembrance.