Summary

First and Second World War memorial, unveiled 1949.

Description

The memorial stands to the south of the Church of St Bartholomew (Grade I-listed), positioned as close as possible to the church’s First World War memorial window that had been unveiled in 1920 by the Bishop of Newcastle, commemorating the 33 local servicemen who had died in the conflict.

The memorial cross, in Blaxter stone with York stone steps, takes the form of a simple Latin cross c2.5m tall. The cross, octagonal in section, rises from a pedestal, square on plan. The pedestal stands on a two-stepped base, that is raised on a low stone platform. To the front face of the pedestal the inscription reads: 1914 -/ -1918/ 1939 -/ -1945.

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 and Second 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.

A number of war memorials were raised at Whittingham, including a stained glass window in the church, dedicated in 1920, and a community hall (not listed) opened in 1924: but in 1949 a stone cross was erected and unveiled outside the parish church to mark the community's losses in the two World Wars. The memorial cross, by Mr Austin Child, was unveiled by Lord Ravensworth on 13 November 1949. It cost £197, of which £125 was raised by public subscription.

Reasons for Listing

Whittingham War Memorial Cross, which stands outside St Bartholomew’s Church, 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 sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a simple yet poignant memorial cross built in regional stone types;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed Church of St Bartholomew and numerous Grade II-listed churchyard monuments.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478518

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, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)