Blackpool War Memorial was erected and in 1923 in prominent position in an existing sunken garden to the west of Princess Parade, Blackpool’s northern promenade. It was officially unveiled on 10 November in that year in front of a crowd of 10000 people.
The memorial is in the form of a 30m tall granite obelisk mounted on a three-stepped, square plinth. Each side of the plinth has high-quality bronze reliefs by Gilbert Ledward depicting allegories of Victory, Grief and Justice. These plaques are notable as a rare example of the depiction of women on a war memorial illustrating the role of women both on the Home Front and in uniform, including a wife and child left behind by enlisting men, a nurse, a grieving widow and a small girl. There is also the extremely rare depiction of a dead German combatant on one of the reliefs. There are also four smaller reliefs of servicemen. Alongside the main obelisk are two freestanding chest tombs with covers of cast bronze listing the names of the 907 fallen.
The memorial is Grade II* listed (Historic England List Entry Number: 1072010
Link ). Its listing was reclassified from Grade II to II* in 2017 following a review by Historic England of the importance of all war memorials around the country, in the run up to the centenary of the end of World War I in 2018. Following its reclassification, the war memorial is one of only five Grade II* listed buildings in the town. It joins the Grand Theatre, Sacred Heart Church, Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and the Winter Gardens. Blackpool Tower, in the background, is a Grade I listed building.