Summary
First World War memorial with Second World War additions.
Description
First World War memorial with Second World War additions.
DESCRIPTION: Horsham St Faith War Memorial is located in the churchyard to the east of the Grade I-listed Church of the Blessed Virgin and St Andrew. To the opposite side of the road are several Grade II-listed buildings, which includes the village hall.
It takes the form of a tall, polished grey granite wheel-head cross rising from a four-sided, tapering plinth with moulded cap. This surmounts a square, stone base.
The plinth carries the inscription and names in leaded lettering. The inscription is to the south face and reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN EVER AFFECTIONATE AND GRATEFUL/ REMEMBRANCE OF THE MEN OF HORSHAM ST FAITH’S/ AND NEWTON ST FAITH’S WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR US/ AND OUR HOMES DURING THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918. The 28 names are recorded below the inscription and to the east and west faces of the plinth. The three names related to the Second World War are also to the west face under the dates 1939 - 1945.
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 at Horsham St Faith as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Like many Norfolk war memorials, the example at Horsham St Faith is situated within the churchyard. The memorial was presumably erected not long after the end of the First World War, and commemorates the 28 local servicemen from Horsham St Faith and Newton St Faith who died in that conflict.
Following the Second World War, the names of the three casualties from that conflict were added to the memorial.
The section of churchyard wall in front of the memorial was lowered at some point after 1933 to allow for the memorial to be viewed from the road.
Reasons for Listing
Horsham St Faith War Memorial, which is situated in the churchyard at the Church of the Blessed Virgin and St Andrew, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* As an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* A well-executed wheel-head cross memorial.
Group value:
* With the Grade I-listed Church of the Blessed Virgin and St Andrew and the adjacent Grade II-listed buildings, which includes the village hall.
External Links
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
Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)