Summary

A war memorial clock tower, designed by Peter Falconer (1916-2003), constructed in 1951-2.

Description

A war memorial clock tower, designed by Peter Falconer (1916-2003), constructed in 1951-2.

MATERIALS: the tower is constructed from limestone rubble, with ashlar limestone dressings.

PLAN: the tower has a square footprint and stands within a green area in the centre of the settlement.

EXTERIOR: the clock tower, which tapers slightly towards the top, has four equal faces, built in rubble stone between ashlar quoins. To the south-western face, the moulded entrance doorway houses a three-panelled, raised and fielded timber door, to which is affixed an engraved brass plaque. The plaque reads: THIS CLOCK TOWER ERECTED / IN 1951 STANDS AS A MEMORIAL / TO ALL THOSE OF THE CIVIL / PARISH OF NAILSWORTH / WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WARS / 1914-1918 AND 1939-1945. Towards the top of each elevation a white clock face with black Roman numerals sits within a moulded stone surround. The tower terminates with a moulding, from which a plain, cylindrical pillar rises at each corner. These support an overhanging, square cap.

INTERIOR: the tower houses a clock mechanism manufactured by Gillett & Johnston with ting-tang and strike gear utilising two of the bells cast by Joseph Rudhall in 1795 for the old Chapel of St George.

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 January 2017.

History

The clock tower was erected in 1951-2 as a memorial to the men of the civil parish of Nailsworth who fell in both the First and Second World Wars. It was designed by Peter Falconer, a prominent local and national architect who practised from nearby Stroud, and son of Arts and Crafts architect Thomas Falconer. The tower is sited prominently within a small garden at the centre of the settlement, in a location previously occupied by a memorial fountain, designed by G F Playne and built in 1862; this was resited a little to the south west to make way for the new clock tower. The structure, built as a clock tower, houses a clock by Gillett & Johnston, and two C18 bells from the old chapel of St George, which was built in 1794 and replaced in 1898 by the current Church of St George.

Reasons for Listing

Nailsworth war memorial clock tower 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: as a relatively unusual form of war memorial, particularly for its post-Second World War date;
* Group value: with the related war memorial cross, further to the south of the town.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677055

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

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy