Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

The Yorkshire freestone war memorial stands within a triangular garden at the junction of Wharton Street and Church Street. The garden is enclosed by railings on a series of stone piers and a low stone wall, whilst the memorial is also enclosed by railings mounted on a square kerb.

The tall statue of an infantryman in uniform, holding the muzzle of his rifle in his right hand with its butt grounded at his right foot, stands on the cornice of a large plinth. The plinth is square on plan and rises from a moulded base. The base stands on two steps within the memorial’s enclosure.

On the front face of the plinth a small wreath is carved in low relief above the principal dedicatory inscription, reading TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND/ IN THANKFUL REMEMBRANCE/ OF THE MEN/ FROM THIS TOWNSHIP/ WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE/ DURING THE EUROPEAN WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ AND THE WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945/ “THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE”. The commemorated names are recorded on the other faces of the plinth and on the upper faces of the base.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 25 July 2017.

History

Coundon War Memorial was unveiled on 25 September 1921 by Colonel F Walton MC. The cost of £450 was met by public subscription to a war memorial fund and the memorial was designed and made by Allison and Sons of Bishop Auckland, with railings by Wilson and Sons of Blue Row. It commemorated 162 local servicemen who died in the First World War.

Following the Second World War the names of those who fell in that conflict were added. The statue on the top of the memorial was vandalised in the 1960s: deemed unsafe because of the extent of the damage, it was removed and for some years was stored in Allison’s stone-yard. The memorial was restored in 2007: this included the replacement of the statue and repair to the railings. Some names were also added at this time.

Reasons for Listing

Coundon War Memorial, which stands in a garden at the junction of Wharton Street and Church Street, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a well-executed statue of an infantryman raised on a Classical plinth.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26678166

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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