Aylesbury St Mary's War Memorial Cross, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Summary

First World War memorial cross designed by Esmond Burton, unveiled in 1921.

Description

Aylesbury St Mary’s War Memorial is located in the churchyard, to the south of the Church of St Mary (Grade I-listed) and adjacent to the South Gateway to St Mary’s Churchyard (Grade II-listed). Numerous listed buildings are adjacent, surrounding the church close on all sides. The c6m tall stone memorial takes the form of an elaborate Calvary cross.

The cross-head Calvary includes a hooded crucifixion scene with Mary and John standing either side of the cross. The flanking figures, carved in the round, are supported by bracketed pedestals at the top of the slender cross shaft, octagonal in section. The cross shaft rises from a pedestal, square on plan but with an octagonal moulded cap and shoulders cut back at the corners. The pedestal stands on a three-stepped base.

The dedication is carved in relief on the south face of the pedestal. It reads TO THE/ GLORY OF/ GOD/ AND TO THE HONOURED MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF AYLESBURY WHO/ DID THEIR DUTY EVEN UNTO DEATH/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1919/ TRUE LOVE BY LIFE TRUE LOVE BY DEATH IS TRIED/ LIVE THOU FOR ENGLAND WE FOR ENGLAND DIED/ REQUIESCAT IN PACE.

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 St Mary's parish church in Aylesbury as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Other memorial schemes for the church had been proposed and discussed at vestry meetings, but in the event a more affordable freestanding cross was selected at a meeting held in March 1920.

Designed by Mr E Burton of London, the memorial cross outside the Church of St Mary (Grade I-listed) was unveiled by the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, the Marquis of Lincolnshire, at a service held on 20 March 1921. The dedication was undertaken by the Bishop of Buckingham. The churchyard wall was lowered to improve the visibility of the cross from the street, shortly after the unveiling ceremony.

Esmond Burton (1886-1964) was a carver, modeller and architectural sculptor active from 1911 to 1964. A member of the Art Workers' Guild, he was responsible for the design of a number of war memorials including the memorial cross for Streatley on Thames, a memorial tablet for St Mary’s Church, Chilton, and the Lloyd’s of London Second World War memorial. He also contributed to the sculptural elements of the War Memorial Chapel at Rugby School (Grade II*-listed) and the Second World War extension to the Portsmouth Naval War Memorial (Grade I-listed).

Reasons for Listing

Aylesbury St Mary’s War Memorial Cross, which stands in the 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 in the First World War.

Architectural interest:

* a tall, elegant, well-executed Calvary cross by Esmond Burton of the Art Workers’ Guild;
* unusually, the memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration, and thus retains its original design intent.

Group value:

* with the Church of St Mary (Grade I), the South Gateway to St Mary’s Churchyard (Grade II), and numerous listed buildings around the church close.

External Links

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