Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

DESCRIPTION: Bishopswood War Memorial is located to the north side of the B4234 to the corner of a field.

It takes the form of a sandstone Latin cross above a carved collar on chamfered shaft. A carved lozenge is inset to the centre of the cross. The shaft rises from a square plinth with chamfered top corners, which surmounts a three-stepped stone base.

The First World War inscription is incised to the front (south) face of the plinth and reads: ERECTED/ BY THE PARISHIONERS/ TO THE MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE WAR 1914 – 1919/ IS IT NOTHING TO YOU/ ALL YE THAT PASS BY. The names of those who died are listed directly below, incised into the top two steps of the base.

A stone plaque with the names of those who died following the Second World War is set into a wall below the memorial cross.

The memorial is situated on a terraced platform of roughly-coursed stone. This is enclosed and flanked by roughly-coursed stone walls with flat stone coping. The memorial is approached to both sides by steps; those leading up to the lower level facing east-west and those leading up to the memorial facing north-south.

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 Bishopswood as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 18 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was built on land that formed part of the Bishopswood Estate and was unveiled on 17 April 1921.

Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the eight people from the local community who died during that conflict. The terraced platform, including boundary walls and steps, upon which the memorial now stands was also built at this time.

In 2016 the memorial received grant funding from the War Memorials Trust for conservation and repair work.

Reasons for Listing

Bishopswood War Memorial, which is situated to the north of the B4234, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:
* As an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:
* A fine ensemble consisting of a well-executed Latin cross memorial rising prominently from a terraced platform.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478920

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

• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)