Bowden Hill War Memorial Cross, Lacock, Wiltshire

Entry Name: Bowden Hill War Memorial Cross

Listing Date: 8 November 2017

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1451013

ID on this website: 101451013

Location: St Anne's Church, Bowden Hill, Wiltshire, SN15

County: Wiltshire

Civil Parish: Lacock

Traditional County: Wiltshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Wiltshire

Tagged with: War memorial

Summary

First World War memorial granite cross, unveiled 1920.

Description

The memorial stands in the north-eastern corner of the churchyard of the Church of St Anne (Grade II), where it faces outwards towards one the main road junctions in the village. The churchyard also contains the Harris monument (Grade II), whilst The Conduit House (Grade II*) stands in the opposite field to the north.

The memorial is about 2.5m tall and comprises a simple rough-hewn Cornish granite wheel-head cross, set on a square plinth. The centre of the Maltese cross head is ornamented with a carved hemispherical boss. The memorial stands on a small square base set flush with the ground.

The principal dedicatory inscription to the north face of the plinth is in applied metal letters and reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF OUR NOBLE DEAD/ WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1919./ (10 NAMES)/ "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE".

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 erected in the churchyard at Bowden Hill as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 10 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled on 29 August 1920 by Mr Gladstone, churchwarden, and dedicated by Reverend WAS Merewether. Forty-five parishioners had served during the war. A tablet inside the church, to two members of the Merewether family, was also unveiled and dedicated during the ceremony.

Reasons for Listing

Bowden Hill 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 the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the First World War.

Architectural interest:

* A simple yet poignant granite memorial cross in the Celtic style;

* Unusually, the memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration, and thus retains its original design intent.

Group value:

* With the Church of St Anne (Grade II), the Harris Monument (Grade II) and The Conduit House (Grade II*).

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.