Summary

War memorial, unveiled c1920, dedicated to the men of the parish who fell in the First and Second World Wars.

Description

War memorial, unveiled c1920, dedicated to the men of the parish who fell in the First and Second World Wars.

The stone war memorial takes the form of a Celtic cross adorned with a long cross in low relief on its front elevation, standing on a base, plinth and two-stepped platform. The memorial is inscribed on its front (south-west) elevation only, and the base of the cross reads: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN EVER BLESSED AND GRATEFUL MEMORY / OF THOSE MEN FROM THIS PARISH WHO LAID / DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR.’ The plinth is inscribed with the dates of the First World War (1914-18), and the names of 23 of the fallen in two columns. A stone plaque was added to the platform following the Second World War (1939-45), bearing the dates of the conflict, the names of 10 of the fallen, and the inscription ‘THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE’.

The memorial is bounded by 8 stone posts linked by metal chains, and surrounded by late-C20 paving. It is approached from the south-west from the junction of Hitchin Road (B651) and Whitwell High Street by 4 paved steps.

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 the country. 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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Whitwell in the parish of St Paul's Walden as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the parish who lost their lives in the First World War.

St Paul's Walden war memorial was erected c1920 in memory of 23 local men of the parish (villages of Whitwell and St Paul’s Walden) who fell in the First World War (1914-18). Following the Second World War (1939-45) a stone plaque was added to the platform of the memorial, inscribed with the names of 10 local men who fell during that conflict. Among the fallen of the First World War, the Hon. Fergus Bowes-Lyon is commemorated; elder brother of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, he was killed in action on 27 September 1915. The memorial stands approximately 750 metres south-east of St Paul’s Walden Bury, an ancestral residence of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne (Bowes-Lyon family).

Reasons for Listing

St Paul’s Walden 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 the local community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Group value: for its relationship with nearby listed buildings, including 2 and 4 High Street (listed at Grade II) and the highly-graded listed buildings and registered parkland of St Paul’s Walden Bury, and its contribution to Whitwell Conservation Area.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478290

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.

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