Summary
First World War memorial, 1920, by H H Martyn and Company with names added after the Second World War and another in 1947.
Description
First World War memorial, 1920, by H H Martyn and Company with names added after the Second World War and another in 1947.
MATERIALS: Portland stone.
PLAN: the memorial stands in a prominent location in the car park of the Grade II listed The Dog Inn.
EXTERIOR: it is in the form of an elaborately carved Celtic wheel cross. The front and rear faces of the crosshead and its wheel are decorated with ornately relief-carved interlace designs. The cross-shaft is slender and tapering and its foot is similarly decorated with carved interlace. The cross stands on a trapezoidal plinth and square base, and the whole sits upon a large, two-tiered square base, painted white. The memorial is surrounded by a square of eight white stone bollards connected by chains.
The monument is oriented to face across the road junction and the main inscription is carved into the shaft of the cross in black-painted lettering. It reads: IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ THESE DIED/ FOR/ ENGLAND/ ––/ 1914-1919/.
The ranks, initials, surnames, and regiments of the 23 fallen of the First World War are listed on the front and both sides of the plinth. On the rear of the plinth is the additional inscription: 1939-1945/ (5 NAMES)/ DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE 1947/ (1 NAME).
On the front edge of the base is the inscription: THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.
History
The aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, 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 Norton in 1920 as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 23 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was constructed by H H Martyn and Company at a cost of £159 17s 4d raised by public subscription. The memorial was unveiled on Sunday 7 November 1920.
The names of the five parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial, as was the name of an individual who died in 1947.
Reasons for Listing
Norton 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 memorial in the form of an elaborately carved Celtic wheel cross.
Group value:
* it has group value with the Grade II listed The Dog Inn in whose car park it is situated.
External Links
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Recommended Books
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)