Summary

First World War memorial, erected in 1920, additional name added following the Second World War, restored between 2012 and 2014.

Description

First World War memorial, erected in 1920, additional name added following the Second World War, restored between 2012 and 2014.

MATERIALS: constructed of Portland stone with leaded lettering.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a wheel-cross with a tapering shaft and square plinth, and a three-stepped square base. The arms and shaft of the north face of the cross are decorated with relief-carved interlace. The main inscription in leaded lettering on the north face of the plinth reads IN GRATEFUL/ REMEMBRANCE OF/ (NAMES)/ WHO DIED FOR THEIR KING & COUNTRY/ AND ALSO OF ALL OTHER MEN OF/ SALWARPE WHO FOUGHT IN THE GREAT WAR/ AND (NAME), and the upper step of the base reads 1914-1918. The west plinth face reads (NAME)/ CHAPLAIN R.N.V.R/ RECTOR OF THIS PARISH/ 1935 - 1943, and the upper step of the base reads 1939-1945.

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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised at Salwarpe as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was funded by public subscription and erected in 1920 on a small triangular area of land next to Salwarpe Bridge (listed Grade II). The name of a rector of the parish who lost his life during the Second World War was subsequently added to the memorial.

Between 2012 and 2014 a programme of restoration was carried out on the war memorial and the surrounding land was also improved. The memorial was re-dedicated on Sunday 3 August 2014.

Reasons for Listing

Salwarpe War Memorial 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:

* it is an elegant and well-carved memorial.

Group value:

* it forms a good group with other nearby listed buildings, including Salwarpe Bridge (Grade II), the Parish Church of St Michael (Grade II*) and Salwarpe Court (Grade II*).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q61668026

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

• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)