Summary

First World War memorial unveiled 1921 with further names added after the Second World War.

Description

West Tytherley war memorial is a rough-hewn stone obelisk which stands c 5m high tapering towards the top. It is set on a plinth which in turn is set upon a square five-stepped base. The base is surrounded by a stone-paved area.

The inscription in black lettering is recorded on the plinth and the top step on the east face. The inscription on the plinth of the memorial reads: THE GREAT WAR./ 1914 - 1919./ ERECTED BY THE INHABITANTS OF THIS PARISH,/ IN MEMORY OF OUR GALLANT DEAD, IN HONOUR/ OF THOSE WHO SERVED, AND IN THANKSGIVING/ TO ALMIGHTY GOD, WHO GAVE US THE VICTORY. On the top step the inscription reads: ALSO/ IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939 - 1945.

A stepped path leads up to the memorial.

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, 6 December 2016.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was erected at West Tytherley in The Village to commemorate the fallen from this conflict.

The memorial was unveiled on 2 April 1921 by Washington Singer (1866-1934), one of the sons of Isaac Singer who developed the domestic sewing machine. Washington had bought the Norman Court estate which, included the village of West Tytherley. He was a benefactor of a number of different causes and a substantial donor to the University College of the southwest of England, which later became the University of Exeter; the Department of Psychology, is named in his honour.

An inscription was added to the memorial following the Second World War. The memorial was cleaned in 1998 with the aid of a War Memorials Trust grant and a new stepped path up to the memorial was re-laid.

Reasons for Listing

West Tytherley War Memorial 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 sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design interest: a simple, yet dignified, obelisk with steps leading up to it.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677779

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

• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)