Summary

War memorial and bench, unveiled in 1920, dedicated to the fallen of the First World War.

Description

War memorial and bench, unveiled in 1920, dedicated to the fallen of the First World War.

The stone war memorial takes the form of a rectangular-plan Celtic cross standing on a three-stepped hexagonal-plan base. The front (east) elevation of the shaft of the cross is inscribed: ‘TO THE MEN OF / COURTEENHALL / WHO DIED FOR / ENGLAND / 1914 - 1918’, followed by the names of 13 residents who fell during the First World War. A plain curved stone bench stands between the memorial and the Northampton Road (A508), and is most likely contemporary with the memorial.

The memorial and bench stand directly opposite the main entrance from the Northampton Road to the Courteenhall estate, which includes Courteenhall House (listed at grade II*), and its historic parkland and gardens (registered at grade II).

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, 20 February 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 the country. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Courteenhall as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Courteenhall war memorial was erected opposite the gates of the Courteenhall estate in 1920 in memory of 13 residents of the estate who fell during the First World War (1914-18). The memorial was unveiled by Admiral Sir Drury St Aubyn Wake, and the inscription includes the names of the admiral’s younger brother Major Hugh St Aubyn Wake, and the admiral’s only son Charles Baldwin Drury Wake, who were both killed in action in 1914 and 1918 respectively. Courteenhall House has been the residence of the Wake family since the mid-C17.

Reasons for Listing

Courteenhall war memorial and bench are 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 sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Group value: for its strong relationship with nearby designated heritage assets, including Courteenhall House (listed at Grade II*), and its associated parkland and gardens (registered at Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478301

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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