Description

SOLIHULL

732/0/10051 THE SQUARE
07-MAR-11 War Memorial in front of Church of St
Alphege

GV II
A War Memorial, commemorating the dead of the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War, erected in the 1921 and designed by W H Bidlake. The monument is an adaptation of an Eleanor cross, of Portland stone with rectangular bronze tablets which bear the names of the fallen.

DESCRIPTION: an octagonal platform with York stone paving and granite kerbs supports an octagonal granite plinth with five steps. The octagonal shaft is divided into four stages; the lowest of these has alternating bronze tablets bearing the names of the fallen from the First World War in relief, according to the service to which they belonged, and stone panels which are carved with representations of service men and women in relief. These show an airman, a marine, an infantryman and a nurse. On the north face is a dedicatory inscription which reads; '1914-1918 / IN ETERNAL REMEMBRANCE OF / THE MEN OF SOLIHULL WHO / WENT FORTH AT THE CALL OF / KING AND COUNTRY TO FIGHT / IN THE GREAT WAR. MANFULLY / THEY FACED HARDSHIP, DANGER, DEATH ITSELF, IN THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY. THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO RETURNED NOT / AGAIN ARE HERE INSCRIBED. / THEIR BODIES ARE BURIED / IN PEACE AND THEIR NAME / LIVETH UNTO GENERATION AND GENERATION'. The upper body has panels which bear the names of the dead from the Second World War and the Korean War. The stage above this has panels of blind tracery with crocketed gablets to the top and this in turn supports a stage with open tracery which supports the finial cross.

HISTORY: the monument was designed by the noted Birmingham architect W H Bidlake to commemorate the dead from the First World War and was unveiled by the Earl of Craven and dedicated by the Bishop of Birmingham on 19 June 1921. To this were added the names of the fallen from the Second World War and the Korean War of 1950-53. Ordnance Survey maps show that the monument is in its original position, but the road layout has been changed and the monument, which originally stood on a small traffic island, now forms part of the wide pavement in front of the Church of St. Alphege.

SOURCES:
Bates, S, Solihull, A Pictorial History, (1991) illus.138

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
The war memorial to the north of the Church of St Alphege, The Square, Solihull is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural: the memorial is a strong composition, well suited to its prominent site at the centre of Solihull
* Intact state: the memorial appears to have suffered no loss or alteration
* Historic interest: a permanent testament to the sacrifice of The Fallen in both World Wars, and the Korean war
* Group value: with The Church of St Alphege (Grade I)

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 10 August 2017.

Reasons for Listing

The war memorial to the north of the Church of St Alphege, The Square, Solihull is designated for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural: the memorial is a strong composition, well suited to its prominent site at the centre of Solihull
* Intact state: the memorial appears to have suffered no loss or alteration
* Historic interest: a permanent testament to the sacrifice of The Fallen in both World Wars, and the Korean war
* Group value: with The Church of St Alphege (Grade I)

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26675366

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

• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings