Description

1514/0/10017
10-JUL-08

GEDNEY
DAWSMERE/ DROVE END
War memorial in the churchyard of Christ Church, Gedney Dawsmere

GV
II

War memorial. Erected c1919 to the memory of the men from the parish of Gedney who were killed in WWI, with inscriptions added for the fallen of WWII.

MATERIALS: Limestone.

DESCRIPTION: A three-stepped square base surmounted by an octagonal plinth, an octagonal shaft and a gabled crucifix with Gothic cusping and a finely-sculpted figure of Christ. The plinth is inscribed: '1914-1918 / To the / Glory of God / and in undying / memory of the / men from this / Parish who died / in The Great War', with the names of 21 fallen. There is an added inscription '1939-1945', with the names and ranks of the 5 men who fell in WWII.

HISTORY: Until 1850 the only centre of population in Gedney Marsh was Drove End. In 1855 the prominent politician Edward Cardwell (later Viscount Cardwell) and his brother Charles bought some 3,000 acres of land in Gedney Marsh. The Marsh had a creek running through it, named Daws Mere Creek, probably after Sir Abraham Dawes who undertook the reclamation of the land from the sea in 1660. The Cardwell brothers set about building a new village at Dawsmere. In 1869-70 Christ Church, Dawsmere was built to the designs of Ewan Christian. The war memorial in the churchyard was erected c1919 to commemorate the 21 men from the parish of Gedney who were killed in the First World War. Further inscriptions were added to commemorate the 5 men who died in the Second World War.

SOURCES: UK National Inventory of War Memorials, ref. 42986.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION:
The war memorial at Gedney Dawsmere is designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* As a testament to the men from this marshland parish who were killed in the two World Wars, it is a poignant reminder of the tragic impact of world events on the local community
* It is delicately carved in limestone, with a particularly fine sculpted figure of Christ on the cross
* It has group value with the adjacent Christ Church and vicarage by Ewan Christian.

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, 23 January 2017.

Reasons for Listing

The war memorial at Gedney Dawsmere is designated for listing at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* As a testament to the men from this marshland parish who were killed in the two World Wars, it is a poignant reminder of the tragic impact of world events on the local community
* It is delicately carved in limestone, with a particularly fine sculpted figure of Christ on the cross
* It has group value with the adjacent Christ Church and vicarage by Ewan Christian.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26671860

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

• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)