Summary

First World War memorial, 1924, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

Wroughton War Memorial stands on rising ground in front of the library. The tall Portland stone memorial consists of a floriate equal-armed cross, set on a tapering, octagonal, shaft. The shaft rises from a chamfered, square, plinth that sits on a three-stepped, square, base. Five shallow, broad, steps approach the memorial from the pavement, which forms a wide apron at the roadside.

All inscriptions are incised and painted in black enamel. The principal inscription on the front of the plinth reads IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF THIS/ PARISH WHO LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918./ THEIR NAMES LIVE FOR EVERMORE/ AND THOSE OF THE 2ND WORLD WAR / 1939 · 1945 (2 NAMES). The names of those who fell in the First World War are listed on the other faces of the plinth. The front face of the top step of the base carries the names of those who fell in the Second World War. The lower step of the base has a shallow outsailing cornice to provide additional space for wreaths.

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, 16 December 2016.

History

Wroughton War Memorial was unveiled and dedicated on 3 August 1924. An inscription to commemorate the men from the parish who died fighting during the Second World War was added at a later date. In 1975, the memorial was moved some 600m from an island on the main road between Swindon and Wroughton, to its present site. In 2010, funded by War Memorials Trust, the memorial was cleaned and one name was added to the base to commemorate a serviceman who died in the Second World War. This name has since been moved from the side to the front of the memorial.

Reasons for Listing

Wroughton War Memorial, situated on Wharf Road in Wroughton, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: an elegant and well-proportioned memorial cross.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677375

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

• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)