Summary
First World War memorial granite cross, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Description
First World War memorial granite cross, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIALS: granite.
DESCRIPTION: this tall memorial is located on The Green, prominently situated and surrounded by numerous listed buildings on either side of the Marketplace. It comprises a rough-hewn wheel-head cross with Celtic knot work carved into the front face of the cross head. The cross rises from a tapering polished plinth, standing on a two-stepped rough-hewn base. The plinth bears the inscriptions in applied metal lettering.
INSCRIPTION: The principal dedicatory inscription to the front face of the plinth reads: IN/ MEMORY OF THE MEN OF/ BURNHAM WESTGATE,/ BURNHAM SUTTON/ AND/ BURNHAM NORTON/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919. Commemorated First World War names are listed on either side of the plinth.
On the rear face of the plinth the later inscription reads 1939 - 1945/ “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS/ THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS”/ ST. JOHN CHAPTER 15 13 V/ (10 NAMES).
The cross is enclosed by a rail carried on eight low pyramidal granite posts.
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 Burnham Market, 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 names of 34 local servicemen from the Burnhams are recorded on the memorial.
A war memorial committee had been appointed to carry out a suitable scheme, presided over by Reverend TF Falkard DSO. By November 1920 the memorial had been erected and enough money raised to leave £2 surplus after all expenses had been paid. The details of ten men who died in the Second World War were added to the memorial after that conflict.
Reasons for Listing
Burnham Market War Memorial, which stands on The Green, 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 tall and imposing granite wheel-head cross in the Celtic style.
Group value:
* with Market House and Market House Cottage (Grade II*) and numerous Grade II listed buildings on either side of the Marketplace.
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
Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)