Summary

First World War memorial, designed by Powles and King and unveiled on 30 November 1920, with further names added after the Second World War.

Description

The memorial is located in the centre of the path leading to the Church of St John the Baptist, and it comprises a stone lantern cross carved with decorative details surmounted by a small Latin cross. The cross is set upon an octagonal grooved shaft with a carved decorative collar, which in turn is set upon an octagonal plinth and three-stepped base.

The front face of the plinth carries the inscription which reads TO THE GLORY/ OF GOD/ AND/ IN GRATEFUL/ REMEMBRANCE OF/ THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ GREATER LOVE HATH/ NO MAN THAN THIS/ THAT A MAN LAY DOWN/ HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS/ S JOHN XV 13. The other faces of the plinth carry the names.

Inclined upon the three steps at the base is an additional tablet. The inscription reads THIS TABLET IS ADDED/ IN MEMORY OF THESE MEN/ OF THE PARISH WHO DIED/ ON ACTIVE SERVICE/ IN THE WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES)/ "AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN/ AND IN THE MORNING/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM".

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, 22 February 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, 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 Hartford 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 Powles and King and it was unveiled on 30 November 1920 by Lieut General Sir Henry De Beauvoir De Lisle KCB KCMG DSO.

Following the Second World War, the names of those who lost their lives in that war were also added.

The memorial was relocated a few metres to the W in the 1990s to accommodate an extension to the church.

Reasons for Listing

Hartford 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;
* Architectural interest: an ornate and striking lantern cross with carved decorative details;
* Group value: with the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478300

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

• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings