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Latitude: 53.196 / 53°11'45"N
Longitude: -0.9205 / 0°55'13"W
OS Eastings: 472213
OS Northings: 367092
OS Grid: SK722670
Mapcode National: GBR BHM.N2H
Mapcode Global: WHFGV.TXVR
Plus Code: 9C5X53WH+CQ
Entry Name: Laxton War Memorial
Listing Date: 16 January 2020
Grade: II
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1467427
ID on this website: 101467427
Location: St Michael's Church, Laxton, Newark and Sherwood, Nottinghamshire, NG22
County: Nottinghamshire
District: Newark and Sherwood
Civil Parish: Laxton and Moorhouse
Built-Up Area: Laxton
Traditional County: Nottinghamshire
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Nottinghamshire
Tagged with: War memorial
First World War memorial in the churchyard of the parish church of St Michael the Archangel, Laxton, unveiled 1920.
A First World War Memorial.
MATERIALS: granite with lead lettering.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in the churchyard of the Grade I listed parish church of St Michael the Archangel, to the north of the chancel. A plain cross stands on a drape on top of a square column supported by a square base of two stages. At the base of the north face of the column a broken artillery piece is sculpted alongside sprays of laurel and oak.
The column is inscribed on its north face with lettering in lead: TO / THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN GRATEFUL / REMEMBRANCE OF / THOSE FROM THIS / PARISH WHO FELL IN / THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1919 / GREATER LOVE HATH / NO MAN THAN THIS, / THAT A MAN LAY / DOWN HIS LIFE FOR / HIS FRIENDS. The names of nine men who lost their lives are recorded in the two stages of the plinth.
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 750,000 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 Laxton as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the nine parishioners who lost their lives in the First World War.
The war memorial situated in the churchyard of the parish church of St Michael the Archangel, Laxton, dating to 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 well-crafted memorial employing classical symbols of respect and mourning.
Group Value:
* with the Grade I listed church of St Michael the Archangel, the Grade II list gates and gate piers, and Grade II listed churchyard cross.
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.
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