Summary

First World War memorial, 1920.

Description

First World War memorial, 1920.

MATERIALS: granite; sandstone; bronze.

DESCRIPTION: Great Orton War Memorial is located in the churchyard of St Giles Church, Cross House Gardens, Great Orton, Cumbria. It is prominently situated by the churchyard entrance. It comprises a granite boulder (roughly teardrop shaped) with a bronze plaque attached to its smoothed front face, with a bronze cross affixed to its tip. It is set upon a two-tiered square sandstone base of dressed stone blocks. On the first of these steps, four shell cases painted black form the corner posts for the chains surrounding the monument.

The plaque carries the inscription and names and the crest of the Border regiment. The inscription reads: 4th AUG 1914 11th NOV 1918/ (NAMES)/ “QUAE POTUÉRE”

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 Great Orton as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Great Orton War Memorial was situated within the churchyard. The memorial commemorates nine local servicemen who fell in the First World War. The faculty for its erection was granted in May 1920 and it was unveiled and dedicated on 30 May 1920 by the rector, the Reverend Canon W P Gillbanks, and the Bishop of Barrow in Furness. The boulder that forms the main part of the memorial was apparently found by the rector in a field at the Flatt. The surrounding shell cases and chains are mentioned in an account of the unveiling.

Reasons for Listing

Great Orton War Memorial, which is situated in St Giles 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 this local community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* as a simple but well-executed granite, sandstone and bronze composite boulder memorial.

Group value:

* with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Giles, and the Grade II-listed The Old Rectory and the Grade II-listed Cross House Farm.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q56856799

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

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings