Summary

First World War memorial, 1919, designed by Sydney Inskip Ladds.

Description

MATERIALS: limestone.

DESCRIPTION: Eynesbury War Memorial consists of a Latin cross with pierced central square detail with rose motifs. The cross and its arms are octagonal in shape and rise from a slightly tapered octagonal shaft with a turreted collar incorporating Tudor flowers carved in relief around its base.

It is set upon a square plinth with carved turreted pillars at each corner and with a flower motif carved on each face.

The memorial is set upon a two-stepped octagonal base.

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, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was unveiled at Eynesbury in 1919 as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It commemorates 39 local servicemen who died during the First World War.

The memorial was designed by Sydney Inskip Ladds (1867 – 1950), well-known for his church restoration work, and also responsible for a number of other church war memorials in the Huntingdon area including Kimbolton and Easton.

There is no dedicatory inscription or names on the memorial itself; instead the dedicatory inscription for the memorial is incised and gilded on a slate plaque which is set into the adjacent church wall.

In 2010 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Eynesbury War Memorial, 1919, designed by Sydney Inskip Ladds, 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 First World War;
* Architectural interest: a tall and well-executed memorial cross with carved decorative details;
* Designer: designed by Sydney Inskip Ladds, well-known for his church restoration work and other memorials;
* Group value: with the Church of St Mary (Grade II*), Berkley House (Grade II) and St Mary's School (Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66477952

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

• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)