Summary

Puttenham War Memorial, erected c 1921, adjacent to the Church of St John the Baptist (listed Grade II*).

Description

The war memorial stands in a prominent location on The Street in the village of Puttenham adjacent to the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II*) in a paved stone corner accessed by three steps.

The memorial comprises a sandstone hooded calvary cross with octagonal shaft set on an octagonal plinth. This is set upon a sandstone octagonal base. The whole is then set on a Portland stone two-stepped base; the upper octagonal and the lower a square base. Both the hood and the shaft have some carved decoration detail and all of the First World War period lettering is in a decorative Celtic-style.

A Celtic-style square motif with letters A M D G which stand for ‘Ad Maiorum Dei Gloriam’ meaning ‘to the greater glory of God’ is carved in relief on the south face of the plinth. Below, the inscription reads: IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE/ OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918.

Around the octagonal base are 14 names with their regiments and on three sides is inscribed: THEIR NAMES LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.

A rectangular stone plaque was later fixed to the south face of the memorial’s base and is inscribed with: 1939-1945. Underneath are inscribed the names of 11 men who lost their lives in the Second World War.

Adjacent to the memorial are several planters* which are not of special interest and are not included in the listing.

* 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.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 5 December 2016.

History

The memorial originally commemorated those men of Puttenham who gave their lives in the First World War. It was erected in c 1921 on land given to the parish by the owner of Puttenham Priory and photographs in the care of the local history society show the unveiling ceremony.

The memorial is set within a paved corner adjacent to the churchyard. The lower two steps of the base are of a different character and material to the rest of the memorial and it is possible that these were added following the Second World War. An inscription was added to the upper of the two steps commemorating those who lost their lives in the Second World War. Some letters have been recently been painted and the memorial was cleaned in 2014.

The war memorial has group value with the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II*) and is sited opposite Home Farm House (Grade II).

Reasons for Listing

Puttenham War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: as an elegant and well-proportioned calvary cross with decorative details and a Celtic-style motif and lettering to the inscription;
* Group value: the memorial has group value with the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II*) and Home Farm House (Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677535

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

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)