Summary
First World War memorial limestone cross, unveiled 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Description
The memorial stands in the churchyard, to the south side of the Church of St Mary (Grade I-listed) outside the porch. In limestone, it comprises a canopied, floriated cross-head rising from the moulded collar of a tall octagonal shaft. The shaft stands on a plinth, square on plan, with a broad single-stepped base below. The plinth bears the inscriptions in incised lettering.
The principal dedicatory inscription to the front face of the plinth reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ WHO GAVE THE VICTORY/ AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE UP THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918/ THIS CROSS IS ERECTED 1920. The commemorated First World War names are listed on two of the plinth’s other faces. The Second World War dedication, to the rear face, reads ALSO IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THOSE WHO DIED/ IN THE WAR 1939 - 1945/ (NAMES).
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 North Creake as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 17 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled in 1920. The names of nine men who died in the Second World War were added after that conflict.
The memorial was refurbished in 2014 with grant aid from the Norfolk Armed Forces Community Covenant Board and King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council.
Reasons for Listing
North Creake 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 conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* a tall and elegant memorial cross in limestone.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Mary (Grade I) and the Old Rectory (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.
Recommended Books
Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)