Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

The stone memorial comprises a Celtic wheel-head cross rising from a square, tapering, shaft. The front face of the wheel-head is ornamented with three hemispherical bosses and carved interlace patterns. A panel of carved interlace decorates the foot of the shaft, to the front. The shaft rises from a four-stage square plinth, which stands on a square base. Low, square, stone pillars at each corners of the base support iron rails, painted black.

The front face of the shaft displays the principal inscription, IN/ GLORIOUS/ MEMORY/ OF/ THE MEN/ FROM THIS/ VILLAGE/ WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR/ KING &/ COUNTRY/ IN THE/ GREAT WARS. The front face of the plinth is inscribed 1914 – 1918/ (4 NAMES) and 1939 – 1945/ (2 NAMES). All inscriptions are incised and painted black.

The memorial stands in a small grassed area enclosed by a hedge. A wooden frame bearing a collection of Best Kept Village Award plaques stands to the left of the memorial, and a flagpole stands in the north-west corner of the enclosure. Eight low posts linked by a chain separate the enclosure from the pavement. This frame, the plaques, flagpole, and the enclosing low fence are not of special interest.

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

Crowton War Memorial was constructed in 1921 to commemorate the servicemen from the village who died in the First World War. Details of the fallen of the Second World War were added at a later date. Repairs to the inscriptions funded by War Memorials Trust, including re-cutting and painting the letters, were made in 2005.

Reasons for Listing

Crowton War Memorial, situated at the junction of Ainsworth Road and Kingsley Road, 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 local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: a well-proportioned wheel-head cross decorated with interlace carving.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677442

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

• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)