Summary
A war memorial in the form of a limestone obelisk, erected in 1920.
Description
A war memorial of 1920 date.
MATERIALS: constructed of limestone.
DESCRIPTION: comprising a stone obelisk on a plinth with a moulded cap and foot, on a two-stepped square base. The plinth bears the inscriptions in incised black lettering and reads: IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE/ MEN WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918/ (NAMES)/ THEIR MEMORY LIVETH EVERMORE/ ECCLES 44 14/ IN LOVING MEMORY OF/ THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 45/ (NAMES)/ THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT BE BLOTTED OUT/ ECCLES 44 V 13.
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 memorial was raised at Sharnford 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 memorial was unveiled on 20 March 1920 by Major Griffiths DSO. The names of the fallen in the Second World War were added later. The memorial was cleaned and restored in 2017.
Reasons for Listing
Sharnford War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* it is 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:
* it is a well-detailed war memorial in the form of a stone obelisk.
Group value:
* it has group value with the Church of St Helen and Number 45 Leicester Road, both listed at 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
Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
[(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House