Summary

First World War memorial, designed by Sir Aston Webb and unveiled on 17 October 1923, with a further name added after the Second World War.

Description

MATERIALS: Clipsham limestone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located on the High Street in Drayton St Leonard and it comprises a Latin cross on an octagonal tapering shaft on a three-stepped octagonal base.

The base carries the inscriptions in inscribed lettering painted black. The dedication reads: IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE/ WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES FOR US/ IN THE GREAT WAR. A second side is inscribed 1914 – 1918/ R.I.P. Five sides are each inscribed with the name of one individual who fell in the First World War.

The inscription 1939 – 1945/ (NAME) was added at a later date on another side.

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 raised at Drayton St Leonard as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The memorial was designed by Sir Aston Webb (1849-1930) President of RIBA 1902-4 and of the Royal Academy 1919-24. His best known works are the Victoria and Albert Museum and the present form of The Mall, including the re-fronting of Buckingham Palace, the setting of the Victoria Memorial and Admiralty Arch. He was responsible for a number of war memorials, including the Dover Patrol Monument (Grade II*) and those at Ditton, Hertford (in collaboration with Alfred Drury), Malvern and Wigan, which are Grade II-listed.

Drayton St Leonard War Memorial was unveiled on 17 October 1923 by Major General Sir Robert Fanshawe and dedicated by the Rector Watkin Wynn Williams to the five local servicemen who fell during the First World War. It may have been the Rector who was instrumental in gaining the services of Aston Webb probably through the British Legion.

The name of one individual was added following the Second World War.

In 2015 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Drayton St Leonard 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;
* Architectural interest: a simple but striking memorial cross;
* Designer: by Sir Aston Webb, architect of the Victoria and Albert Museum and well-known for his high quality war memorials.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478111

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Old House Care and Repair