Summary

First World War memorial, dedicated in 1921.

Description

The monument takes the form of a stone memorial cross, with an octagonal shaft and base, standing on an octagonal plinth with four steps. The lower part of the shaft is broader, with steeply pitched gables on each face. Set beneath one of the gables to the east side is a niche, with a small bronze statue of St George by the artist Philip Jackson. This was installed in 2000, the fate of the original sculpture is unknown.

Beneath the sculpture, carved into the stone is the following inscription:

TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO/ LEAVING THIS PARISH DURING THE GREAT WAR DIED FOR/ THEIR COUNTRY/ WE OF LYNCH DEDICATE THIS CROSS. 

To either side are the names of ten fallen. On the west side is a single name, fallen during the Second World War.

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, 5 December 2016.

History

Linch War Memorial was dedicated on 27 November 1921 to the men of Linch (also spelled Lynch) who fought and died in the First World War. A name was subsequently added to remember the fallen of the Second World War.

The memorial had a small statue of St. George set within a niche. This went missing at some point and was replaced in 2000 by a sculpture of the same subject by the renowned contemporary sculptor Philip Jackson (1944-) who lives locally. One of Jackson’s most notable recent public commissions is the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, London, unveiled in 2012. In 2014 the memorial was severely damaged by a falling tree, but was subsequently restored with the help of War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Linch War Memorial, situated by the junction of Linch Road, Midhurst Road and Fenhurst 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 the local community, and the sacrifice it made in two World Wars;
* Design and artistic interest: a modest yet well-executed memorial, with the more recent addition of a sculptural work by a noted contemporary sculptor.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677482

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

• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)