Summary

First World War memorial, 1922, with Second World War additions.

Description

First World War memorial, 1922, with Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: grey granite; lead lettering

DESCRIPTION: the war memorial is situated within the churchyard of the Church of St Kentigern, prominently situated in the corner of the churchyard at a road junction. It takes the form of a wheel head cross with knot work carving and the date 1914-18 carved in relief to the cross head and upper part of a tapering shaft that surmounts a plinth with a single-stepped base. The lower shaft and the plinth bear the inscription in leaded lettering and reads: 1914 - 18// (NAMES)// IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN/ FROM THIS PARISH WHO DIED FOR THEIR/ COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR, THIS CROSS/ WAS ERECTED BY THE PARISHIONERS// ALSO/ IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE FROM THIS PARISH/ WHO DIED DURING/ THE 1939-1945 WAR/ (NAMES).

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. One such memorial was raised at Irthington as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by nine members of the local community, who lost their lives in the First World War.

The war memorial is situated within the churchyard of the Grade II-listed Church of St Kentigern, and was made by prolific stone masons and sculptors Messrs Beattie and Co of Carlisle. It was unveiled on 24 September 1922 by ex-servicemen Mr H Herbert of West Knowe and Mr Robert Irving of Newtown and dedicated by the Bishop of Carlisle. Two additional fallen of the Second World War were added after that conflict.

Reasons for Listing

Irthington War Memorial, erected 1922, 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:

* by Messrs Beattie and Co of Carlisle, it is a simple yet poignant memorial in the form of a wheel head cross with Celtic knot work carving, executed in good quality grey granite.

Group value:

* it benefits from group value with the Grade II-listed Church of St Kentigern, in whose churchyard it is located.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q83188651

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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