Marlow War Memorial, Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Entry Name: Marlow War Memorial

Listing Date: 18 August 2015

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1427594

ID on this website: 101427594

Location: Marlow, Buckinghamshire, SL7

County: Buckinghamshire

Civil Parish: Marlow

Built-Up Area: Marlow

Traditional County: Buckinghamshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Buckinghamshire

Church of England Parish: Great Marlow with Marlow Bottom, Little Marlow and Bisham

Church of England Diocese: Oxford

Tagged with: Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, with additions following the Second World War, designed by T Hansford-White and W Henry Wright, unveiled in 1920.

Description

First World War memorial, with additions following the Second World War, designed by T Hansford-White and W Henry Wright, 1920.

MATERIALS: Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located at the northern end of the green between High Street and The Causeway. It is a tapering cross standing approximately six meters high, with a bronze victory wreath at the junction of the arms; bronze sprays of laurel adorn the lower three feet of the edges of the shaft. It stands upon a moulded and inscribed square-plan plinth, base, and two steps with quadrant cut corners, on an octagonal platform. There are moulded tapered pillars at each angle of the octagon with iron chains enclosing the memorial. Three steps on the north lead down to a stone-paved path to the road. The path is enclosed by chain fencing supported by metal posts and a pair of metal gates.

The front (north) face of the plinth is inscribed with the following, in inset leaded lettering in a plaza-style pre-Deco font: ‘IN GRATEFUL AND / HONOURED MEMORY / OF THE / TWO HUNDRED & FIFTEEN/ MEN OF MARLOW / WHO MADE THE / SUPREME SACRIFICE / IN THE / GREAT WAR / 1914-1919’. Beneath, on the base: ‘AND OF THOSE WHO FELL / IN THE / SECOND WORLD WAR / 1939-1945’.

On the east face: ‘THE NAMES OF THE / OFFICERS, NCOs & MEN / OF THE / ROYAL NAVY / THE ARMY / AND THE / ROYAL AIR FORCE / COMMEMORATED / BY THIS CROSS / ARE RECORDED ON / THE WALLS OF THE / PARISH CHURCH’.

On the west face is a dedication by the Reverend TF Royds: ‘"SONS OF THIS PLACE, / LET THIS OF YOU BE SAID, / THAT YOU WHO LIVE / ARE WORTHY OF YOUR DEAD. / THESE GAVE THEIR LIVES / THAT YOU WHO LIVE MAY REAP / A RICHER HARVEST / ERE YOU FALL ASLEEP" / TFR’.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 11 January 2017.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever, with thousands of memorials erected across the country. One such memorial was erected in Marlow; a prominent location was chosen, on the edge of a green, close to the parish church in which the Roll of Honour was installed.

The memorial was designed by T Hansford-White and W Henry Wright, and built by Mr E Harris. The stonemasonry firm was Joseph Whitehead and Sons, who were responsible for more than 200 other memorials across England and Wales, predominantly in London and the South.

It was unveiled on 25th July 1920 by General Sir George Higginson GCB, GCVO (1826-1927), a native of Marlow who had served in the Grenadier Guards in the Crimean War.

Metal gates and chain fencing to the path were added subsequently. The memorial was completely restored in April 1993.

Reasons for Listing

The Marlow war memorial, unveiled in 1920 and designed by T Hansford-White and W Henry Wright, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: as a symbol of the great impact made by the First and Second World Wars on local communities, and as a focal point for remembrance;
* Architectural interest: an unusual variation on a cruciform design, enriched with moulded stone and bronze;
* Group value: with the Grade II* listed Church of All Saints, in which the Rolls of Honour are inscribed, and a number of other listed buildings and items of street furniture.

External Links

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.