Summary

First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

This List entry has been amended to add sources for further reading (13/12/2016)

The memorial stands in a commanding position at the centre of the western arc of the harbour wall (Grade II*-listed), standing on a buttress above a slipway. Of grey granite, quarried nearby in the hamlet of Sheffield, it comprises a tapering obelisk, rectangular on plan, with a carved laurel wreath decorating its top stage. A simple representation of a cenotaph surmounts the obelisk. The memorial has a heavy base with vertical fluting and a carved laurel wreath on each face.

Inscribed on the front face of the obelisk is TO THE/ GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF/ THE THIRTY-SIX/ WHO MADE THE/ SUPREME SACRIFICE/ AND OF ALL THOSE/ WHO SERVED IN/ THE GREAT WAR/1914-1919/ ALSO/ IN REMEMBRANCE/ OF THOSE WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES AND THOSE/ WHO SERVED IN/ 1939-1945.

Two low granite pillars linked by a chain stand to the front of the cenotaph.

History

A war memorial committee was formed on 12 April 1919 with the chairman remarking that, because lives had been sacrificed in the open, then Mousehole’s memorial should also be in the open. Early proposals for a bronze statue of Liberty (incorporating a public convenience) and a Cornish cross, were dropped due to a lack of funds.

The memorial was unveiled by Mrs Bolitho (the widow of the late Colonel W E T Bolitho of Trevelloe) and dedicated by the vicar, Reverend F J Prideaux, at a ceremony held on 18 December 1920. It cost £410, of which c £40 remained to be raised after the unveiling. The memorial commemorates c 400 local men who served, of whom 36 died, during the First World War.

The architect was F G Drewitt of Cowell, Drewitt and Wheatly of Penzance (also responsible for the St Ives War Memorial) and the builders were Messrs W H Snell and Son (responsible for the construction of a number of war memorials, most of which are in Cornwall). Following the Second World War an inscription was added to commemorate those who served and died in that conflict.

Reasons for Listing

Mousehole Cenotaph, at North Cliff, Mousehole, 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 the C20;
* Architectural interest: a simple but well-executed obelisk in a local stone, standing in a prominent position;
* Group value: with the Grade II*-listed Harbour Piers and Walls, and a number of Grade II-listed buildings fronting the harbour.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677821

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

• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)