Summary

First World War memorial, 1922.

Description

MATERIALS: Cornish granite.

DESCRIPTION: Worsley War Memorial stands near the W door of the Church of St Mark (Grade I-listed) in Worsley, Salford. It consists of a Cornish granite cross fleury on a tapering octagonal shaft. The shaft rises from an octagonal plinth, which stands on a three-stepped base. The top two steps are octagonal, the lowest is square in plan. The plinth has a moulded cap and base and the names of the fallen are inscribed around its faces. The memorial stands in a square gravelled area surrounded by a stone kerb.

The principal dedicatory inscription is located on the front face of the plinth, in a gothic script. It reads REMEMBER/ BEFORE GOD/ THE GALLANT DEAD/ WHOSE NAMES/ ARE WRITTEN HERE/ THOUGH MANY LIE/ IN OTHER LANDS/ THEY FELL/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919.

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, 30 January 2017.

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. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also 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 Worsley as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It commemorates 103 local servicemen who died during the conflict.  The memorial was unveiled on 10 April 1922 by the Earl of Ellesmere. It was conserved in 2008.

Reasons for Listing

Worsley War Memorial, which stands alongside the Church of St Mark, 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 memorial cross;
* Degree of survival: unusually the memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration and thus retains its original design intent;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed Church of St Mark.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478006

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

• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990