Monk Sherborne War Memorial, Monk Sherborne, Hampshire

Entry Name: Monk Sherborne War Memorial

Listing Date: 20 February 2019

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1462471

Also known as: Monk Sherborne Memorial Wheel Cross

ID on this website: 101462471

Location: Monk Sherborne, Basingstoke and Deane, Hampshire, RG26

County: Hampshire

District: Basingstoke and Deane

Civil Parish: Monk Sherborne

Built-Up Area: Monk Sherborne

Traditional County: Hampshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Hampshire

Tagged with: War memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled in 1923. The designer is not currently known. The names of the fallen of the Second World War were subsequently added.

Description

First World War memorial, unveiled in 1923. The designer is not currently known. The names of the fallen of the Second World War were subsequently added.

MATERIALS: Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located on a traffic island at the junction of Salters Heath Road and Monk Sherborne Road. It consists of a wheel cross with Celtic knot decoration on a tapering rectangular shaft with a moulded capital. This is mounted on a tapering plinth set on an octagonal base. A carved scroll at the top of the shaft bears the legend ‘IN MEMORIAM’ in relief. The front face of the plinth bears the inscription ‘GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS’. The names of the fallen are inscribed on the shaft with the eight names from the First World War followed by the date 1939-1945 and the four names from the Second World War.

The memorial is surrounded by a low metal fence* with gilded pineapple finials to the corner posts, installed in 2002.

* Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the metal fence is not of special architectural or historic interest.

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.

Monk Sherborne War Memorial was unveiled in June 1923 by Reverend Geoffrey Harold Woolley VC (1892-1968) who had been the first Territorial soldier to receive a Victoria Cross, for his bravery at the Battle of Ypres (20-21 April 1915). Additional names were added after the Second World War. In 2002 a metal fence was erected round the memorial to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

Reasons for Listing

Monk Sherborne War Memorial, Monk Sherborne, Hampshire 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 it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* as a well-executed example of one of the common forms of First World War memorial.

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.