Summary
War memorial, erected around 1920.
Description
War memorial, erected around 1920.
MATERIALS: carved from stone.
DESCRIPTION: located near the south-east entrance to the churchyard of the Church of St Peter (Grade II*), the war memorial comprises a Latin cross with octagonal arms, on a tall, tapered octagonal shaft with broach chamfers and a square base. It is surmounted on a chamfered square pedestal, and set on a square step with chamfered corners. To each side of the pedestal are metal plaques inscribed with the names of the men that died in the First World War. The inscription on the plaque to the south face of the pedestal reads:
THIS CROSS IS ERECTED / IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION / OF THE DEVOTION OF THE / MEN OF BEEDING WHO GAVE / THEIR LIVES IN THE WAR / 1914 – 1919 / LORD ALL PITYING JESU BLEST / GRANT THEM THY ETERNAL REST
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.
Upper Beeding War Memorial is located next to the south-east entrance to the churchyard of the Church of St Peter (Grade II*) that is built on the site of the C11 Benedictine Priory of Sele. It is not known when the war memorial at Upper Beeding was erected and commemorated, but it was likely to have been during the 1920s. The memorial commemorates 29 local servicemen who died during the First World War.
Reasons for Listing
Upper Beeding war memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* for its accomplished and well-realised design in the form of a Latin cross;
* it survives unaltered in its original location.
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.
Group value:
* for its relationship with the Church of St Peter (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
The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
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Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)