Langley War Memorial, Langley with Hardley, Norfolk

Summary

First World War memorial.

Description

First World War memorial.

MATERIALS: stone, flint, bronze.

DESCRIPTION: Langley war memorial is located on a triangular traffic island at the junction of Langley Green, Langley Street and Staithe Road; to the north is the scheduled site of Langley Abbey.

It takes the form of an obelisk, constructed from rough-coursed flint with ashlar quoins; crowned by a slim, bronze, Latin cross finial. The obelisk rises from a square plinth comprised of coursed, roughly-dressed stone with inset ashlar panels carrying the inscriptions and names in incised lettering. Above each panel is a square, ashlar stone with motifs carved in relief. The whole surmounts a two-stepped base.

The principal inscription is to the north-east face of the plinth and reads ERECTED/ BY THEIR SORROWING COMRADES/ IN ARMS AND GRATEFUL FELLOW/ PARISHIONERS IN PROUD AND/ LOVING MEMORY OF THE BRAVE MEN/ WHO WENT OUT FROM LANGLEY/ AND DIED FIGHTING FOR THEIR/ KING, COUNTRY AND KIN/ GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN/ THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE/ FOR HIS FRIENDS JOHN 15.13/ 1914 TO 1918. To the ashlar stone above is a carved wreath.

The names are recorded on the remaining three sides of the plinth, including their regiment, how or where they died and the date. The ashlar stones above the panels are carved with regimental badges as follows: south-east face, Fusilier Marksman; south-west face, Norfolk Regiment; and north-west face, Royal Artillery.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The memorial is enclosed by nine small, wood posts* with a chain* hung between each one, which are not of special interest.

* Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest.

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 at Langley as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 12 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. A historic photograph indicates that the memorial was being constructed in 1919; it was dedicated by the Reverend Alexander Cooney, vicar of Hardley and Loddon. The stone used in constructing the memorial is reputed to have come from the site of Langley Abbey, which is to the north of the memorial.

The current fence posts and chains surrounding the memorial were added at a later date.

In 2016 the memorial received grant funding from the War Memorials Trust for its conservation and repair.

Reasons for Listing

Langley war memorial, which is situated on a triangular traffic island at the junction of Langley Green, Langley Street and Staithe Road, 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 in the First World War.

Architectural interest:

* A striking and well-executed obelisk memorial.

Group value:

* With the scheduled site of Langley Abbey, from where the stone for the memorial is said to have been sourced.

External Links

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.