Summary

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

Description

The war memorial stands within a long, downward sloping, terraced grass Memorial Garden extending westwards from the west front of the church of St Peter (Grade I). The church tower and spire form the backdrop to the memorial when approached along the main path from the High Street. Approximately 7m high, the memorial's upper part is of limestone, and comprises a lantern set on top of a tapering shaft formed of four round columns, all in a decorative medieval style. The shaft rises from a large but fairly shallow sandstone base that stands on a shallow stone step.

Inscribed on the front face of the base is RAUNDS/ TO ITS HONOURED DEAD/ 1914 – 1919/ ‘THEY WERE A WALL UNTO US BOTH BY DAY AND BY NIGHT’. On two sides are bronze plaques, each headed ROLL OF HONOUR with names below of those who died in the First World War. On the fourth side of the plinth is a metal plaque headed ROLL OF HONOUR/ 1939 – 1945 bearing the names of those who died in 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, 17 January 2017.

History

Raunds War Memorial, which originally stood in the Square some 300m to the south, was unveiled on 9 October 1921. At that time it commemorated 107 local servicemen who died during the First World War. It was moved in June 1950 into the newly-created War Memorial Garden, when one further First World War name was added. The bronze plaque recording the names of those 29 who died in the Second World War was stolen in 2011; subsequently a substitute plaque was installed.

Reasons for Listing

Raunds War Memorial, standing in the Memorial Garden west of the church of St Peter, 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 the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an elegant medieval-style lantern cross, complementing the Early English west tower of the parish church;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed church of St Peter.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677656

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

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)