Summary
First World War memorial unveiled on 1921.
Description
A First World War memorial of 1921, prominently sited to the east side of the present St Matthew's Church.
The memorial is built of stone and marble, and, when relocated, was erected upon a brick-edged platform.
The memorial takes the form of a wheel-head cross with ornate foliate lopes attached to the four quarters of the wheel, on a tapering octagonal shaft with moulded collar and foot, atop a four-sided plinth with chamfered corners and edges, on a three-tiered base.
The plinth bears the inscription in incised and blacked lettering. It reads : 1914 - 1919/ YOU LIVE FOR ENGLAND/ WE FOR ENGLAND DIED// (NAMES)// (NAMES)// (NAMES)// IN THANKSGIVING FOR THESE AND ALL MEN AND WOMEN/ OF THORPE HAMLET WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES/ IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY.
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw the single biggest wave of public commemoration ever experienced in England, with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country, both as a result of the huge impact of the loss of three quarters of a million lives had on communities throughout the nation, and 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 within the churchyard of St Matthew's Church at Thorpe Hamlet in 1921 to commemorate the 128 servicemen from the area who lost their lives in the conflict. The memorial was unveiled on the 25 September 1921, and stood in that position ( map reference TG 24013 08638) until it was relocated in its present position near the new St Matthew's Church in Telegraph Lane, built to replace the original church of 1851. The new church opened c.1982 and it is thought that the relocation of the memorial dates to that time. The memorial was later vandalised, and then restored and re-dedicated in November 2003
Reasons for Listing
The war memorial, situated in the driveway to St Matthew’s Church at Thorpe Hamlet, Norfolk 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:
* as an elegant and well-executed example of a wheel-headed cross, forming an appropriately dignified and sombre memorial.
Group Value:
* the memorial is located a short distance from the site of St Leonard’s Priory, a scheduled monument ( List Entry Number 1002895).
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
Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
[(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)