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Latitude: 51.3523 / 51°21'8"N
Longitude: -2.9811 / 2°58'51"W
OS Eastings: 331774
OS Northings: 161926
OS Grid: ST317619
Mapcode National: GBR J6.V2VM
Mapcode Global: VH7CK.88WN
Plus Code: 9C3V9229+WH
Entry Name: War Memorial at the Church of St John the Baptist
Listing Date: 17 July 2025
Grade: II
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1492402
ID on this website: 101492402
County: North Somerset
Civil Parish: Weston-super-Mare
Built-Up Area: Weston-Super-Mare
Traditional County: Somerset
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Somerset
A First World War memorial in the form of an elegant lantern cross. Unveiled in July 1922.
First World War Memorial, 1922.
MATERIALS: limestone.
PLAN: the memorial stands in the churchyard to the south of the church, close to the entrance on the west.
DESCRIPTION: a lantern cross on a tapering octagonal shaft. Square stone pedestal with chamfered angles, upon a four-stepped octagonal base. The plinth bears the inscription: ‘IN THANKFUL REMEM- / BRANCE OF THE MEN / OF THIS PARISH AND / CONGREGATION / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 -1918’.
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 the official policy of not repatriating the dead, meaning that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at the Church St John 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 Langport and Somerton Herald included a report on the unveiling of the memorial by the Bishop of Taunton in July 1922. In addition to the churchyard cross, a polished marble tablet was hung within the church (listed at Grade II), inscribed with the names of 83 parishioners.
The war memorial in St John’s Churchyard is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* taking the form of an elegant lantern cross, it is a sombre and dignified memorial standing prominently in the churchyard.
Group value:
* with the Grade II-listed Church of St John, and particularly for the marble tablet Roll of Honour contained within.
Other nearby listed buildings