Summary

A First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

MATERIALS: Stone sundial with bronze plaques.

DESCRIPTION: The Arden House School War Memorial is located within the grounds of the former Warwickshire College campus, formerly Arden House School. It consists of a stone step on which stands a plinth, square on plan, with a chamfered shaft rising from the top. On the top of the shaft a pyramidal block is engraved with the sundial. The gnomon of the sundial is missing.

On three sides of the plinth are bronze plaques in recessed panels. The first carries a dedication to the fallen of the First World War and reads ERECTED BY/ PARENTS, OLD/ BOYS & FRIENDS/ OF THE SCHOOL/ IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE ARDEN/ HOUSE BOYS/ WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914 -1919./ THE LORD GAVE, AND THE/ LORD HATH TAKEN AWAY;/ BLESSED BE THE NAME OF/ THE LORD. The second plaque has a list of the names of the fallen. A later plaque on the third face reads IN MEMORY/ OF THOSE/ ARDEN HOUSE/ BOYS/ WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES/ IN THE WAR/ 1939 – 1945/ (9 NAMES). The final face is ornamented with a small bronze plaque in the shape of a tree in leaf.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 21 February 2017.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised at Arden House School, Henley-in-Arden, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the pupils of the school who lost their lives in the First World War.  It commemorates 26 men who died during the First World War. Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the nine who died in that conflict.

Reasons for Listing

Arden House School War Memorial, which stands in the grounds of Arden House, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the school community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an unusual war memorial in the form of a sundial, poignantly marking the passage of time for those remembering the fallen that will not age;
* Group value: with the Grade II-listed Ardenhurst Preparatory School and Hurst House, both buildings of the erstwhile Arden House educational complex.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478260

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)