Cotton College War Memorial, Cotton, Staffordshire

Summary

A First World War memorial, erected 1920; altered after the Second World War.

Description

A First World War memorial, erected 1920; altered after the Second World War.

MATERIALS
Oak, Portland stone, York stone.

DESCRIPTION
The Cotton College War Memorial is located within the village of Cotton, to the east of the cemetery belonging to St Wilfrid’s Church and on the northern edge of the car park for Faber Catholic Primary School (listed Grade II).

The memorial comprises an oak Calvary below a pitched roof, mounted on an octagonal shaft with carved roses. The base of the shaft has four projections with further carved roses. The shaft rises from a two-stepped octagonal Portland stone plinth with blind niches on alternate faces, the other faces being incised with the names of the fallen within sunken panels. Around the top of the bottom tier is some raised Gothic script.

The plinth sits on two octagonal York stone steps set on a cross shaped slab base. The top step has a stone plaque inset with lead lettering which reads SODALIBUS QUI CONTRA INFESTISSIMUS HOSTES FORTITER / DIMIRANTES PRO PATRIA / FRATRIBUSQUE ANINIAE NON / PEPERRERE FILN S. WILFRIDI AD PERPETUAM / BENEFICCI MEMORIAM GRATISSIMI DEDIRARUNT.

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 750,000 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 Cotton College, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the former pupils who lost their lives in the First World War.

The Cotton College War Memorial was erected in memory of the 40 former pupils of Cotton College who lost their lives in the First World War.

It was unveiled on May 5th 1920 by a former staff member, Rt. Rev. James Dey DSO, who was a chaplain overseas in the First World War and was appointed Principal Catholic Chaplain to the Royal Air Force at its end. During World War Two he was Bishop in Ordinary to HM Armed Forces.

The memorial was designed by an old Cottonian, Elphege Pippet, on behalf of Hardman & Co of Birmingham. It was made by RL Boulton & Sons of Cheltenham for a cost of £510. Pippet (b.1868) was from a family of architect-craftsmen who produced decorative works for churches throughout the country. Following in their father Joseph’s footsteps, Elphege and his brother Oswald worked for Hardman & Co and later became sub-contractors to the company designing for them into the 1930s. Hardman & Co were responsible for decorative works in Pugin’s Chapel of St Wilfrid. The firm of RL Boulton & Sons, architectural sculptors and founders, were active from 1870 until the 1970s, and were responsible for work in many churches.

Cotton College (also known as St Wilfrid’s College) was established here in 1873, in buildings dating back to 1630, although it was largely rebuilt in the C18 and extended in the 1840s by AWN Pugin, financed by the Earl of Shrewsbury. The Catholic college was a boys’ boarding school until the 1980s, and has many important alumni, including the ceramist Camille Solon.

After the Second World War the names of the 18 fallen from that conflict were added to the memorial. One further name, of a College employee, was later added.

The memorial was originally located outside St Wilfrid’s Church (AWN Pugin, listed Grade II), part of the Cotton College complex, but was moved to its current location at the rear of the car park for Faber Catholic Primary School in 2016 following the closure of the College in 1992 and the Church in 2010. It was also repaired and restored during the relocation process.

Reasons for Listing

Cotton College 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 sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20;
*as a specific commemoration of the loss of former pupils from Cotton College in World War One.

Architectural interest:
*for its simple but dignified design;
*for its design and construction by a renowned designer and manufacturer.

External Links

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