Lutterworth War Memorial Cross, Walls and Shelter, Lutterworth, Leicestershire

Summary

First World War memorial cross, walls and shelter, erected in 1921, with later additions for the Second World War and subsequent conflicts.

Description

First World War memorial cross, walls and shelter, erected in 1921, with later plaques for the Second World War and subsequent conflicts.

MATERIALS: the cross is constructed of stone; and the walls and shelter of red brick laid in English bond, the latter with a slate roof covering laid in diminishing courses.

PLAN: the memorial is located within the Memorial Gardens at the corner of Church Street and George Street. The memorial cross sits at the meeting of four paved paths at the centre of the garden. The shelter occupies the north-east corner and is flanked by walls along the north and east sides of the garden, that on the east side is built up against the end wall of 24 Church Street.

EXTERIOR: the memorial cross consists of a Latin cross on a fluted tapering shaft which rises from a square plinth on a two-stepped base. The south-west face of the plinth is incised TO THE/ GLORY/ OF/ GOD and the north-east face is incised TO THE/ UNRETURNING/ BRAVE with a tablet bearing four names of those who died in later conflicts. On the south-east face of the plinth the words REMEMBER 1914-1918 in raised lettering is above a large plaque with the words IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE WHO DIED FOR US followed by the names of the fallen. The north-west face is similar except it has the date 1939-1945. The memorial is surrounded by iron railings.

The single-storey memorial shelter has a steeply pitched, hexagonal hipped roof. It is open-fronted on three sides with brick piers at each corner rising above eaves level. These have pilasters on their inner faces with moulded stone capitals. The central open bay has a tall triangular gable with moulded stone coping and a decorative panel in the gable head with tiles laid on edge in a chevron pattern. Below, the Gothic arch opening is embellished with alternating tile creasing between the bricks, and an openwork metal band bearing the words WE WILL REMEMBER THEM. The flanking piers have small recessed panels at the top with tile creasing detailing. The floor of the shelter is laid with large tiles in a geometric pattern, also embellished with tile creasing in a diamond and chevron pattern. The rear wall bears a plaque in the same style as those on the memorial with the words IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO DIED FOR USE 1914-1918 followed by the names of the fallen. On the right hand side there is a plank door with long strap hinges and a soldier arch brick lintel.

Extending from the south and west corners of the shelter are pier-and-panel walls with the same moulded coping as the gable. The piers have small panels of tile creasing. The walls are slightly staggered to take into account the ground that slopes downwards from the north-east corner. Numerous plaques commemorating various later events have been added to the walls.

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, 10 January 2018.

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 Lutterworth 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 in Lutterworth was designed by Mr W K Bedingfield and constructed by Mr Peter Rourke at a cost of £400. The unveiling ceremony was performed by the Earl of Denbigh who unveiled the cross, and the Reverend M F Alderson (Lutterworth Rector 1908-1918) who unveiled the plaque in the shelter. The memorial commemorates 52 local servicemen who fell in the First World War. The names of 26 others were added after the Second World War when the cross was dismantled and cleaned. On re-assembly, more stone was added to the base to provide space for the installation of two bronze plaques.

Reasons for Listing

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

Architectural interest:

* it is a well-detailed monument that forms the centre-piece of a thoughtfully laid out memorial garden;
* the shelter is an important feature in the design with its Gothic arch opening under the dominant central gable and its good use of building materials to create visual interest and texture.

Historic interest:

* it is an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Group value:

* it has group value with numerous surrounding listed buildings, particularly the Grade II-listed mid-C18 shop at 21 Church Street.

External Links

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