Summary
First and Second World War memorial. Erected around 1920 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.
Description
First and Second World War memorial. Erected around 1920 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.
MATERIALS: Carved from limestone.
DESCRIPTION: Wereham War Memorial is located in the churchyard of the Church of St Margaret, Wereham, Norfolk. It is prominently situated in a gap made in the churchyard wall, overlooking the village pond and green. It comprises an approximately 4m stone Latin cross surmounting an octagonal shaft with moulded table/collar at the top, and moulded base section, atop a four-sided plinth with moulded upper edges and corners, on a two-stepped, stone base. The whole is set into a gap in the churchyard wall, and separated from passers-by by a semi-circular railing. The plinth bears the inscriptions on brass plaques (originally the inscriptions were incised into the stone).
The inscriptions have been replaced by the insertion of brass plaques that read IN/ MEMORY OF / THE MEN OF WEREHAM WHO DIED FOR / THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1918 / AND THOSE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR / 1939 – 1945 / (NAMES).
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw an unprecedented wave of public commemoration with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities 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 raised at Wereham, probably in the early 1920s as permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial commemorates 15 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and two men who fell in the Second World War.
The original inscriptions were replaced by brass plaques, probably in the 1990s.
Reasons for Listing
Wereham War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Margaret, Wereham, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as a simple, but well executed Latin cross in limestone.
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.
Group value:
* with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Margaret, the Grade II-listed Pitt Farmhouse and the Grade II-listed George and Dragon.
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
Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy