Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled in 1921, with additional names added following later conflicts.

Description

First World War memorial, unveiled in 1921, with additional names added following later conflicts.

MATERIALS: constructed of ashlar with bronze plaques.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial consists of a stone cross on a collared shaft. The cross head has a carved rose and oak leaf at its centre, while the base of the cross shaft has a carved wreath on each face. The shaft rises from a plinth on a three-stepped octagonal base.

Bronze plaques bearing the names of the fallen are fixed to the faces of the plinth. The north and south faces of base of the plinth have two carved square-leaf bosses. On the other faces of the plinth base is an inscription which reads, in a clockwise direction from the north-east: HAVE IN HONOUR/ ALL THOSE SONS/ OF CHURCHDOWN/ WHO WENT FORTH/ TO SERVE IN THE/ YEARS 1914-1918/ GREATER LOVE/ HATH NO MAN/ THAN THIS/ THAT HE LAY/ DOWN HIS LIFE/ FOR HIS FRIENDS.

A bronze plaque on the north-west face of the top step reads: 1939-1945, with the names of the fallen from that conflict recorded on bronze plaques on the north and west faces. A square bronze plaque on the north-west face of the middle step records the name of a serviceman who lost his life in the Malayan Emergency.

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 Churchdown, in the churchyard of the Church of St Andrew (unlisted), as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 28 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial was unveiled on 3 August 1921 by Mr JH Jones and dedicated by the Reverend JJD Cooke. In 1932 the memorial was conserved with the help of the Churchdown Branch of the Royal British Legion. Further names of the fallen were added following the end of the Second World War and the Malayan Emergency.

Reasons for Listing

Churchdown War Memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St Andrew 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 made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* for its elegant design which includes good-quality carved detailing.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66480024

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

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  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
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  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
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  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version