Summary
First World War memorial cross, unveiled in 1921.
Description
The granite memorial cross stands on the verge on the east side of Newport Road and aligned to the west tower of the Church of St Mary (Grade II*-listed). It comprises a simple wheel-head cross with decorative roundels incised into the cross-head. The cross-shaft stands on a tapering pedestal and single granite step. The dedicatory inscription to the front face of the pedestal reads FOR RIGHT AND LIBERTY/ 1914 + 1918 (4 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 Woughton on the Green as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by four members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The local newspaper reported on 23 July 1921 that the memorial had been unveiled by Colonel Bowles, a local resident, and dedicated by Reverend Canon Whittaker. The names of those 18 men who served and returned are recorded on the lychgate (unlisted), c12m to the south.
The memorial was cleaned and re-lettered in 2014 to mark the centenary of the start of the First World War.
Reasons for Listing
Woughton on the Green War Memorial Cross, which stands on Newport Road, 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 First World War.
Architectural interest:
* a simple yet poignant granite memorial cross, in the Celtic style;
* unusually, the war memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration, and thus retains its original design intent.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Mary (Grade II*-listed), numerous Grade II-listed buildings surrounding The Green, and the scheduled area of Woughton on the Green shrunken medieval village.
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.
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