Summary

A village war memorial of Grinshill sandstone in the form of a Celtic cross, unveiled in 1920.

Description

A village war memorial unveiled in 1920.

MATERIALS & PLAN: Grinshill sandstone, hammer dressed, in the form of a Celtic cross with tapered shaft. The tapered base is set on a platform with a single, stepped plinth. The monument is placed at a cross roads at the centre of the village.

The wheelhead of the cross has a central boss with arms which take the form of segments of a circle and a recessed circlet. The tapered base has an inset plaque which reads ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN HONOURED MEMORY / OF THE FOLLOWING MEN / WHO DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1918.’ with 8 names of the fallen below.

On the opposite side of the memorial’s base an inscription has been added to commemorate those who lost their lives in the Second World War. The inscription reads ‘1939 – 1945/ IN MEMORY OF/ A. MANNING./ F. ROBERTS.’.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 10 March 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 Cressage 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 memorial was unveiled in 1920 and altered after 1945 to also commemorate the fallen of the Second World War.

Reasons for Listing

Cressage War Memorial, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial, which takes the form of a Celtic cross;
* Group value: with Fingerpost Cottage (Grade II) and Old Hall Cottage (Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478632

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

• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)