Market Lavington War Memorial, Market Lavington, Wiltshire

Summary

First World War memorial cross, unveiled 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

The memorial stands within the churchyard outside the south porch of the Church of St Mary (Grade I-listed). There are a number of Grade II-listed churchyard monuments in its immediate vicinity, whilst the former School to the east of the site is also listed Grade II. The war memorial comprises a tall hooded cross of Doulting limestone, standing approximately 4.5m high.

The memorial has a two-stepped base, on which stands a plinth abutted by a step on each side. A small pedestal on the plinth supports an octagonal shaft. The hooded cross rises from a moulded collar on the shaft. The front and rear faces of the cross-head bear a shield ornamented with the monogram HIS carved in low relief. The cross arms are supported by small foliate brackets. The cross shaft, octagonal in section, and the chamfer of the pedestal, are decorated with roses carved in relief.

The principal dedicatory inscription, carved in relief around the faces of the plinth, reads IN MEMORY OF/ OUR MEN WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914–1919. Set into the faces of the pedestal are four slate tablets on which are recorded the names of the men who died in the First World War.

Two additional inscribed slate tablets have been added to steps abutting the plinth. One, to the east, commemorates the 11 men who died during the Second World War, including one specifically identified as being from America. The other tablet, to the south, reads IN MEMORY OF/ THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY SINCE 1945.

All the steps and the plinth are simply corniced for the placement of wreaths and floral tributes.

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 erected in Market Lavington. Designed by Laurence Turner, it was unveiled by Sir Thomas Warrington on Sunday 15 August 1920. The memorial commemorated 19 servicemen who died in the First World War. Two additional inscribed slate panels have been added, one commemorating those local servicemen who died during Second World War and another marking the service of men and women who have given their lives for their country since 1945.

Laurence Arthur Turner (1864-1957) was an architectural sculptor, carver, and modeller. Having attended Marlborough College he was articled to John McCulloch. He went on to work with a number of leading architects including GF Bodley and Philip Webb. His work includes, for example, tombs for William Morris (Grade II) and Norman Shaw (Grade II); much decorative work for interiors of churches, private houses, and university, diplomatic, and commercial buildings; the Bodley Memorial in Holy Trinity Church (Grade I), Westminster. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, Master of the Art Workers Guild (1922), and Honorary ARIBA.

Reasons for Listing

Market Lavington War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard, 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 sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* an elegant war memorial cross in Doulting stone, by noted architectural sculptor Laurence Turner.

Group value:

* with the Church of St Mary (Grade I) and a number of Grade II-listed churchyard monuments and adjacent buildings.

External Links

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