Summary

A churchyard lychgate, of c. 1920, erected as a memorial to the fallen in the First World War.

Description

A churchyard lych gate, of c. 1920, erected as a memorial to the fallen in the First World War.

MATERIALS: the gate is of carved oak with a plain tiled roof and limestone flank walls to its lower body.

DESCRIPTION: The gate is set at the southern entrance to the churchyard, to the south-east of the church. The north and south fronts are essentially similar. The flank walls are of ashlar with a moulded coping. Shaped wooden brackets rest on their surface and connect to the upright posts which rise from the ground at either side of the paired gates, which appear to be original and have chamfers, long iron hinges and a brattished top rails. Arched braces, with cut-out trefoils, connect to the tie beam which has a brattished cresting and is inscribed on its south face with these words ‘In memory of Parishioners and other Worshippers in this Church / who served in the Great War 1914-1918’. A king post and angled struts connect with the roof, which has moulded bargeboards, swept eaves and a wooden cross to its apex. The north face has iron tie rods at either side which rise from the ground to support the lateral posts.

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, 25 July 2017.

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. One such memorial was Whittington churchyard lychgate, which was unveiled on 20 May 1921, by the Dean of Worcester Cathedral, William Moore Ede. It has been little altered since its construction. A tablet recording the names of the fallen is housed inside the church.

Reasons for Listing

The war memorial lychgate at the churchyard of the Church of St Philip and St James, Whittington, 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 an accomplished and well-realised war memorial;
* Group value: with the church of St Philip and St James, Whittington (Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677172

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)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)