Summary

First World War memorial with Second World War additions.

Description

DESCRIPTION: Denver and District war memorial is located at Denver village centre junction, where Sluice Road and Whin Common Road meet, prominently situated on an open green space. It is in close proximity to the Grade II-listed Hardwick House and to the south-west of the Grade II*-listed Church of St Mary.

The memorial comprises a Portland stone Latin cross-head on a slender hexagonal shaft, atop a hexagonal plinth bearing inscriptions, below which is a four-stepped hexagonal base. The principal dedication is the First World War inscription carved in relief on the north face of the plinth. The names are on the other faces of the plinth, recorded below the place name of where they lived, and are in incised lettering that is painted black. The six names of the Second World War casualties were added later; five to the uppermost step of the base immediately beneath the principal dedication, and the other beneath the names for Fordham.

The principal inscription reads TO THE/ HONOURED/ MEMORY OF/ THOSE WHO/ FELL IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ ALSO/ 1939 – 1945

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The memorial is enclosed by six stone posts* with a chain* hung between them.

* Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 ('the Act') it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special or historic interest.

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, 3 July 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.

Denver and District’s war memorial was placed in the centre of the village on a green at the road junction. It represents not only the fallen from Denver, but also those from nearby Fordham, Roxham, Ryston and Bexwell. The memorial was presumably erected not long after the end of the war; a local newspaper reported on the approval of the plans for the war memorial in 1919, which was anticipated to cost £150 and was designed by Sir John Nicholson. The memorial commemorates 35 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and six men who fell in the Second World War. The Second World War casualties’ names were added in 1947.

Reasons for Listing

Denver and District War Memorial, which is situated in the centre of Denver village at the junction of Sluice Road and Whin Common Road, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on several local communities, and the sacrifice they made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:
* a well-executed Latin cross war memorial.

Group value: for its relationship with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Mary and the Grade II-listed Hardwick House.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478490

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

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)