Summary
First World War memorial cross, approximately 1920.
Description
First World War memorial cross, approximately 1920.
MATERIALS: constructed from limestone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located at the entrance to St Thomas a Becket Churchyard. It comprises a wheel-head cross on a two-tiered rusticated tapering plinth upon on a single-stepped base. The finely-hewn faces of the plinth bear the incised inscriptions ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN MEMORY OF THE FOLLOWING / MEN FROM THIS PARISH WHO GAVE / THEIR LIVES FOR KING AND COUNTRY / IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918’, with the names of the eight fallen soldiers on the bottom tier, followed by ‘THEIR NAMES 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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
Details of the erection of the Tugby and Keythorpe War Memorial have not been found, though it is presumed to have been paid for by public subscription, and probably dates from the period immediately following the end of the war. It commemorates the eight local servicemen who fell in the conflict. Historic photographs suggest that the incised inscription was originally infilled, and painted black.
Reasons for Listing
Tugby and Keythorpe War Memorial, erected in around 1920, 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 simple, well-executed and unaltered stone wheel cross.
Group Value:
* with the Grade II* listed Church of St Thomas a Becket.
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
Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Old House Care and Repair
Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]