Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 1920, with later additions.

Description

The tall stone memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary Magdalene (Grade II*-listed), c10m to the north of the church’s north aisle and opposite numbers 3 and 4 Church Walk (Grade II-listed). It takes the form of an Eleanor Cross, in three stages. A small cross surmounts the upper, hexagonal, lantern. The middle stage, with alternating blind and pierced arches, includes a sculpture of St George standing over the vanquished dragon in the front-facing arcade.

The bottom stage, also hexagonal on plan, is formed of two tiers of blind arcading. The principal dedicatory inscription, carved in relief in the band between these tiers, reads: REMEMBER THE MEN OF RICHMOND WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919. The commemorated names are recorded on a Roll of Honour inside the adjacent church.

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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised outside the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Richmond 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 was unveiled on 11 November 1920 by the Archdeacon of Middlesex, in commemoration of 120 local servicemen who died in the First World War. Following the Second World War a further 39 names were added to the Church’s Roll of Honour, and a new plaque was added to the memorial in 1995.

Reasons for Listing

The war memorial which stands outside the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Richmond, 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 conflicts of the C20;

Architectural interest:

* An elegant and well-proportioned war memorial in the manner of an Eleanor Cross, including a statue of St George with the dragon;

Group value:
* With the Church of St Mary Magdalene (Grade II*) and 3 and 4, Church Walk (Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478870

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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