Summary

First World War memorial, 1922, rough-hewn granite, Celtic cross design

Description

The war memorial is located to the centre of St Mary's churchyard alongside Davyhulme Road, to the north of the Grade II listed Church of St Mary the Virgin. It consists of a Celtic cross set upon a stepped plinth, and enclosed by a very low sandstone wall (added in 1960) that forms a raised planting bed. The cross' south face is adorned with a relief carving of a sword and the base incorporates in small relief bronze lettering the names of 21 men of the parish who were killed. The names include three repeated family names. The plinth immediately below has further bronze lettering that reads 'IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THE MEN FROM THE CHURCH/ AND SCHOOLS OF THIS PARISH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918'. The west face of the plinth has bronze lettering that reads 'REMEMBER BEFORE GOD THE GALLANT SOULS/ WHOSE NAMES ARE WRITTEN HERE', whilst the east face bears the words 'THEIR MEMORY WILL NEVER DIE'.

History

The war memorial in St Mary's churchyard was erected in 1922. It was cleaned and renovated in 2008, and again in 2012, in time for the Armistice Day remembrance services.

Reasons for Listing

The war memorial in St Mary's churchyard, Davyhulme is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: it has strong cultural and historic significance within both a local and national context;

* Commemorative: it forms an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community; the duplication of a number of surnames on the memorial's base serving to underline the extreme loss of the community's individual families;

* Group value: it has strong group value with the adjacent Grade II listed St Mary's Church in whose churchyard it stands.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26676561

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

• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)