Summary

First World War memorial designed by F E Howard and unveiled on 24 July 1921.

Description

MATERIALS: Clipsham limestone.

DESCRIPTION: Granborough War Memorial stands nearly 5m high and comprises a Gothic-style Latin cross with tracery detailing in the angles of each arm. It is set upon a tapering shaft upon an octagonal plinth.

The plinth bears the inscription in carved letters which reads 1914 – 1918/ THEIR NAME/ LIVETH/ FOR EVERMORE. A second face of the plinth is inscribed IN HONOURED/ REMEMBRANCE/ OF ALL WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES IN/ THE GREAT WAR/ AND ESPECIALLY/ OF THOSE FROM/ GRANBOROUGH.

The plinth is set upon an octagonal two-tiered base, the upper tier of which is inscribed with the names of five men who fell in the First World War.

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 raised at Granborough as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The war memorial was designed by F E Howard and constructed by W Wise and Son. F E Howard (1888 – 1934) was also responsible for other war memorials including those at the Church of Holy Trinity, Balsham, Cambridgeshire (Grade II) and Steeple Ashton, Oxfordshire (Grade II).

Granborough War Memorial was unveiled by Mrs Frederick Verney on 24 July 1921 with the dedication ceremony conducted by the Rev E G Walmsley.

In 2011 the memorial was cleaned and repaired with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Granborough War Memorial, designed by F E Howard and unveiled on 24 July 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 First World War;
* Architectural interest: an elegant Latin cross with carved decorative details;
* Group value: with the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II*).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66477926

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)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)