Summary

First World War Memorial with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

This List entry has been amended to add sources for further reading (05/12/2016)

The memorial stands at the top of the south slope of Oxshott Heath, on high ground with a backdrop of trees. A low rail and a hedge enclose the memorial, the main face of which overlooks the heath.

The stone memorial comprises a 7m high wheel-head cross rising from an octagonal shaft. The shaft surmounts a square plinth with incised inscriptions dedicated to those who lost their lives during the Second World War. This plinth rises from five octagonal steps which bear incised inscriptions and names in stylised lettering dedicated to those who lost their lives during the First World War.

The dedicatory inscription on the front face of the plinth reads AM/ DG/ 1939-1945

The dedicatory inscription which is incised around the top step reads IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF OXSHOTT WHO/ SERVED THEIR KING & COUNT- / TRY IN THE GREAT WAR/ REMEMBERING BEFORE GOD/ THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES IN THE CAUSE OF/ LIBERTY AND JUSTICE +

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. One such memorial was raised at Oxshott by Sir Robert McAlpine, who was a local resident at the time, to commemorate the 25 servicemen from the parish who died during the First World War. A further inscription was added to the memorial following the Second World War, commemorating those who had died in that conflict. A local history publication records that the memorial was damaged in a gale and restored, slightly reduced in height.

Reasons for Listing

Oxshott War Memorial, which stands on Oxshott Heath, 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 conflicts of C20;
* Architectural interest: an elegant memorial in a prominent position.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677623

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

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)