Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 1920.

Description

The c5m tall memorial stands in the churchyard, to the north side of the Church of the Holy Trinity (Grade I-listed). It takes the form of a rough-hewn granite cross with a wheel-head in the Celtic style. The cross shaft rises from a tapering plinth. The plinth stands on a stone base made to look like a stony outcrop.

A small panel at the foot of the cross shaft is inscribed THEIR NAME/ LIVETH/ FOR/ EVERMORE. Below, to the front face of the plinth, the principal dedicatory inscription reads WIDDRINGTON MEMORIAL/ SACRED/ TO THE MEMORY OF/ THE MEN FROM THIS DISTRICT/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919. The commemorated names are listed to wither side of the plinth, in applied metal lettering.

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, 25 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. 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 Widdrington as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial cross was unveiled on 28 November 1920 by Colonel Taylor DSO of Dilston Hall, Corbridge, and dedicated by Bishop Ormsby.

Reasons for Listing

Widdrington War Memorial, which stands in the 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;
* Architectural interest: a simple yet poignant wheel-head cross in the Celtic style;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed Church of the Holy Trinity, churchyard monuments listed at Grade II, and the scheduled Widdrington Castle and 18th century Gothic castle and gardens south of Widdrington Farm.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478520

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

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  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
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  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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