Summary

War memorial, 1920, designed and sculpted by Bridgeman and Sons of Lichfield.

Description

War memorial, unveiled and dedicated in 1920. It was designed and sculpted by Bridgeman and Sons of Lichfield.

MATERIALS: of Darley Dale gritstone with Hopton Wood limestone panels.

PLAN: it is rectangular on plan.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a Celtic wheel-head cross which stands at the corner of Malcolm Street and Dairy House Road in the churchyard of St James'. It comprises a two-step base, a trapezoidal pedestal and a tall shaft which tapers in rectangular section to a wheel-head carved with intertwined strapwork. Set within the pedestal are trapezoidal plaques of Hopton Wood limestone bearing relief inscriptions. The plaque on the east faces reads: 'THIS CROSS WAS ERECTED / IN PROUD AND THANKFUL / MEMORY OF THE MEN FROM / THE CHURCH AND PARISH / OF ST JAMES DERBY / WHO FELL IN THE / GREAT EUROPEAN WAR. / 1914-1918 /' with the names of the men who died being inscribed below and on the panels on the other three faces. All of the panels have suffered from erosion with some of the lettering now missing. The east face of the base is inscribed: 'THIS CROSS WAS UNVEILED ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 19TH. 1920. / BY Lieut. Col. Herbert-Stepney D.S.O. / DEDICATED BY THE Right Rev. Charles Abraham D.D. BISHOP OF DERBY'. An inscription on the west face of the base reads: 'G.R.A. HARTLEY M.A. VICAR / J. FOSTER. / W.J. SMITH. M.B.E. CHURCHWARDENS'.

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, 25 January 2017.

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 erected in the churchyard of St James' in Derby to commemorate the 160 men of the church and parish who died during the conflict. The memorial was unveiled on 19th December 1920 by Lieutenant Colonel Herbert-Stepney and dedicated by the Bishop of Derby. It was erected at a cost of £250 and was designed and executed by Bridgeman and Sons of Lichfield.

Reasons for Listing

St James' War Memorial Cross, unveiled and dedicated in 1920, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: it is a poignant reminder of the impact of a tragic world event upon an individual community and thus has strong cultural and historical significance within both a local and national context;
* Design interest: as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial which takes the simple form of a Celtic wheel-head cross;
* Group value: with St James' Church (listed Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677789

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

• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings