Summary

First World War memorial, circa 1920.

Description

Besthorpe War Memorial is located in the churchyard of the Church of All Saints, Bunwell Road, Besthorpe, Norfolk. It comprises a stone wheel-head cross on a tapering plinth with a two-stepped square-section base. The plinth bears an inscription in incised lettering but this is difficult to read.

The inscription reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE BRAVE MEN OF BESTHORPE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (NAMES).

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 23 November 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 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.

Besthorpe memorial, like many Norfolk war memorials, was situated within the churchyard. The memorial was presumably erected circa 1920. The memorial commemorates 16 local servicemen who fell in the First World War.

Reasons for Listing

Besthorpe War Memorial, which is situated in All Saints Churchyard, 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 local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the First World War;
* Design: as a simple but well-executed stone wheel head cross;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed Church of All Saints, and the nearby Grade II-listed Besthorpe Hall.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478463

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

• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)