Summary

First World War memorial. Erected 1921.

Description

First World War memorial. Erected in 1921.

MATERIALS: carved from Cornish granite and Derbyshire Gritstone.

DESCRIPTION: the war memorial stands on a green at a junction near the centre of the village adjacent to Manor Farm and St Cross Church. The memorial comprises a Cornish granite cross with Celtic head and a tapering shaft. It rises from a trapezoidal two stepped plinth and a square two stepped Derbyshire Gritstone base. The cross is enriched by carved interlace and knotwork. On the W face of the shaft and plinth is the inscription: TO THE/ GLORY/ OF/ GOD/ AND IN/ MEMORY OF/ WILSTONE/ MEN WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES/ FOR KING AND/ COUNTRY/ 1914-1918./ (NAMES).

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, 12 January 2017.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw a huge wave of public commemoration with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country. One such memorial was erected in 1921 to commemorate nine residents of Wilstone who died during the conflict. It was manufactured by J W Wood and Son and built by a stone mason, Mr Hobbs of Tring, at a cost of £133 1s 4d. The memorial was unveiled on 2nd October 1921 by Captain G M Brown of Tring followed by service where the Long Marston brass band and the RAF Halton band sounded the Reveille and the Last Post.

During the Second World War the railings surrounding the memorial were removed as part of the war effort. They were later replaced with a chain link fence. The memorial was renovated in 1993 and again in 2006 when the masonry was cleaned, the joints re-pointed, the lettering re-painted, and the surrounding fence posts repaired.

Reasons for Listing

Wilstone First World War Memorial, erected in 1921, 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;
* Design: as a well-crafted memorial formed of a Celtic cross and shaft enriched by carved interlace and knotwork;
* Group value: with the adjacent Grade II-listed C17 cottage.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66477766

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

• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide