Summary
First World War memorial, 1920.
Description
First World War memorial, 1920.
MATERIALS: granite.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in a prominent location facing onto the main road through the village, in a walled enclosure, part of the churchyard boundary wall (Grade II) of the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II*).
The memorial comprises a 1.5m high, plain, granite wheel-head cross, the head of which is decorated with raised roundels. The cross stands on a tall trapezoidal plinth, and the whole stands on a two-stepped square base. The whole stands on a paved are edged at the front with granite kerbstones.
The main inscription is on the front face of the plinth in leaded lettering and reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF/ THE BRAVE MEN WHO FELL/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918/ (16 NAMES)/ "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE".
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 Horrabridge as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 16 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial was unveiled on Sunday 20 February 1921 by Major A Irving Muntz and dedicated by the Venerable E F Newman, Archdeacon of Plymouth.
The memorial stands in a stone-walled enclosure set into the boundary wall of the churchyard of the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II*). The plaque bearing the names of the 18 parishioners who fell during the Second World War was subsequently added to the enclosure wall. The piers, gates, lantern and boundary walls of the churchyard including the memorial's stone-walled enclosure are listed Grade II.
Reasons for Listing
Horrabridge War Memorial, which stands in a stone-walled enclosure set into the boundary wall of the churchyard of Church of St John the Baptist, 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 well-executed granite wheel-head cross.
Group value:
* with the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II*) and Piers, Gates, Lantern and Boundary Walls of the Churchyard (Grade II).
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
County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
England's Post-War Listed Buildings