Summary

First World War memorial, designed by Henry Francis Traylen of Stamford and unveiled on 27 November 1920.

Description

MATERIALS: Clipsham stone.

DESCRIPTION: Edmondthorpe War Memorial is located within the churchyard of St Michael and All Angels’ Church. It consists of a Latin cross with carved trefoil tracery to the arms of the cross and a carved collar. The cross is set upon a tapering hexagonal shaft which rises from a square plinth.

Inscriptions and names are carved on the plinth: IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ MEN OF EDMONDTHORPE/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ (NAMES).

The memorial stands upon a two-stepped hexagonal 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 Edmondthorpe on 27 November 1920 by Canon Richard Blakeney 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 nine local servicemen who died during the First World War. The memorial was designed by Henry Francis Traylen (1874-1947) who was a prolific local architect and advocate of nearby Stamford’s historic buildings. Although he specialised in ecclesiastical work and church restorations as one of the Diocesan Surveyors for the Archdeaconries of Lincoln, Oakham, Peterborough, he also designed many secular buildings, war memorials and houses, mainly in Stamford and the surrounding villages.

Reasons for Listing

Edmondthorpe 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: an elegant and striking Latin cross;
* Designer: by Henry Francis Traylen, a prolific local architect, well known for his ecclesiastical work;
* Group value: with the Church of St Michael and All Angels (Grade I).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478254

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.

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