Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 11 July 1920.

Description

First World War memorial, 1920.

DESCRIPTION: The war memorial is located to the northern corner of the churchyard, close to the Grade II-listed Church of St Stephen.

It takes the form of a stone wheel-head cross with a tapering, square shaft, which has a small wreath carved in relief mid-way down the north face. The wheel is carved to look like a wreath to the north face, while the cross-head is also carved in relief. The shaft rises from a tapering four-sided plinth atop a narrow, square block which is chamfered along the top edge. The block has a fielded panel to the north face containing a horizontal sword carved in relief. The whole surmounts a single-step chamfered base.

The north face of the plinth is incised with the dedication which reads TO THE/ GLORIOUS MEMORY OF/ THOSE PARISHIONERS/ AND MEMBERS OF ST STEPHEN’S/ WHO FELL IN THE WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ THEIR NAMES ARE ON/ THE ROLL OF HONOUR/ IN THE CHURCH.

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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised in the churchyard of St Stephen’s Church, Sheffield as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

It was unveiled on 11 July 1920 by Mr C P Styring. There are no names on the memorial which instead refers to the Roll of Honour in St Stephen’s Church that lists the 240 names of those from the local community who died during the First World War.

Reasons for Listing

The war memorial in St Stephen’s churchyard, 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 local community, and the sacrifice it made during the First World War.

Architectural interest:

* A well-executed wheel-head cross memorial with finely carved details.

Group value:

* With the Grade II-listed Church of St Stephen.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66479051

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

• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)