Summary

First World War memorial gates, erected around 1920.

Description

First World War memorial gates, erected around 1920.

MATERIALS: iron gates with stone gate piers.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a pedestrian gate which stands at the entrance to the footpath leading to the west door of the Church of St Helen (listed Grade II*).

It comprises a pair of iron gates with spearhead railings with decorative scrollwork subdivided by a horizontal band of elongated ovals below which are twisted dog-rails. The gates have a concave top rail and a shallow panel with pierced quatrefoil motifs and a pierced dedicatory inscription which reads 'IN MEMORIAM (left-hand gate) / 1914 - 1918' (right-hand gate). The gates stand between piers of coursed random rubble with shallow pyramidal caps. Set within the walling of each pier is a sandstone plaque inscribed with the eight names (four on each plaque) of the fallen.

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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial, which took the form of a pedestrian gate, was raised in the Nottinghamshire village of Thorney, at the entrance to the Church of St Helen (listed Grade II*), as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the eight men of the parish who lost their lives during the conflict.

Reasons for Listing

Thorney War Memorial, unveiled and dedicated around 1920, 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 sacrifice it made in the First World War.

Architectural interest:

* as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial which takes the form of a pair of iron gates and stone piers.

Group value:

* with the Church of St Helen (listed Grade II*) and the ruins of the old church in the churchyard, the house at Thorney Hall and the cottage at Thorney Hall, all Grade II-listed.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66480087

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

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  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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