Summary
First World War memorial.
Description
First World War memorial.
MATERIALS: red sandstone, granite plaques.
DESCRIPTION: Romiley War Memorial is located on a traffic island within a raised grassed area at the junction of Stockport Road and Green Lane.
It takes the form of a tall, red sandstone Latin cross with the monogram IHS carved in relief to an inset circular panel at the centre of the north face of the cross-head. To the base of the north face of the cross shaft are the dates 1914 – 1919, carved in relief to an inset panel. The cross rises from a tapering, four-sided plinth with a moulded cap. This surmounts a square base.
The names of the 65 servicemen who died are recorded on a plaque of polished, grey granite affixed to the north face of the plinth. Directly below, affixed to the base, is a smaller polished, grey granite plaque with the dedication, “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT HE/ LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.” The names and dedication are in raised, leaded lettering.
The whole stands on a coursed-stone platform with ashlar quoins which breaks forward from the sloping ground.
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 Romiley as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 65 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was presumably erected not long after the end of the conflict, and was in situ by the Ordnance Survey County Series 25in map published in 1934. The stonemason was Messrs Willoughby Wilde and Sons of Hyde, who built a number of other war memorials in the Greater Manchester area including the Grade II-listed Victoria Street War Memorial, Newton and Godley Hill War Memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Romiley War Memorial, which is situated on a traffic island at the junction of Stockport Road and Green Lane, 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:
* as a well-executed Latin cross memorial.
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
London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)