Summary

First World War memorial, 1921.

Description

First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

MATERIALS: Darley Dale stone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands on the church path in the north of the churchyard of the Church of St James (Grade II). It is adjacent to the Grade II-listed gate piers and railings at the entrance to the churchyard on London Road.

The memorial consists of a lantern head with a carved Christ figure on the north face atop a moulded collar on an octagonal shaft. The foot of the shaft is chamfered with a square base tapering to an octagon at the top. This is set on an octagonal plinth with recessed sections on the north, east, south and west faces. The whole stands on an octagonal base.

The foot of the shaft bears a shield carved in relief on the north face within which are the words 1914/1918; underneath the shield the word REMEMBER is incised. The names of the First World War fallen are carved into the north-east and north-west faces of the plinth.

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

The war memorial was unveiled on 2 April 1921 by the Reverend RL Farmer and dedicated by the Venerable Archdeacon Noakes. It was built at a cost of £325, raised by public subscription, to designs by H Quentery Farmer of Macclesfield. The work was largely undertaken by J and E Moores of Manchester, with the carving of the Christ figure and the inscriptions carried out by J Lanefan of Manchester.

Reasons for Listing

Shardlow War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St James, 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 an elegant lantern head memorial bearing carved decorative details.

Group value:

* with the Church of St James (Grade II) and the gate piers and railings at the entrance to the churchyard (Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66479940

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

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)