Summary

A stone war memorial of 1920 date with railings restored in the late C20.

Description

A war memorial of 1920.

MATERIALS: constructed of stone with metal railings.

DESCRIPTION: a war memorial cross with a square base surmounted by a plinth, pedestal and tapering shaft with a decorate Latin cross. Metal railings surround the memorial.

The front face of the plinth is inscribed: IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR /1914-1918/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE/ ALSO TO THOSE WHO FELL/ 1939-1945. The other faces are also inscribed: (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, 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 war memorial was raised at Aston Fields as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Aston Fields was dedicated on 4 December 1920. It is shown on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1927. The memorial was altered later and commemorates the local servicemen who fell in both First and Second World Wars, and all those who gave their lives in those conflicts. In 1990 the railings were restored.

Reasons for Listing

Aston Fields War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* As an accomplished and well-realised war memorial which takes the simple form of a cross mounted on steps;
* The restored railings add to its visual interest.

Historic interest:
* As an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66479944

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

• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings