Summary
War memorial, erected in about 1920.
Description
War memorial, erected in about 1920.
Materials: constructed of stone with bronze inscription panels with raised lettering.
Description: located in a prominent position on a small green in front of the village school, the memorial comprises a tall, octagonal Latin cross with a gently tapering shaft. It stands on an octagonal pedestal with a splayed plinth, and a three-stepped octagonal base.
To the three front-facing (northern) sides of the pedestal are three bronze panels. The inscription to the central panels reads:
THIS CROSS IS / DEDICATED TO THE / GLORY OF GOD & IN / MEMORY OF THOSE / OF THIS PARISH WHO / GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR / THEIR KING AND / COUNTRY IN THE / GREAT WAR / 1914–1919 / THEIR NAME LIVETH / FOR EVERMORE
Eleven names are recorded on each of the panels to either side.
An additional panel has been added beneath, to the upper step of the octagonal base. The inscription reads:
ALSO / WE REMEMBER WITH AFFECTION / THOSE WHO MADE THE / SUPREME SACRIFICE / IN THE FURTHER CONFLICTS OF / 1939 – 1945
Additional panels have been added to either side, each recording four names, as well as small panels to the three northern faces of the splayed plinth above, each recording one name.
History
The great age of memorial building was in the aftermath of the First World War which 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.
Pembridge War Memorial was erected in about 1920 to commemorate the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The names of those parishioners who died during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Pembridge War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as a well-executed example of a Latin cross type memorial.
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.
Group value:
* with Swan House and School View (Grade II*), Forsythia and West Leigh (Grade II*) and Ivydene and Shamrock Cottage (Grade II).
External Links
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
Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Period Property Manual (New Ed)
Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas