Summary
War memorial, erected in 1921.
Description
War memorial, erected in 1921.
MATERIALS: constructed of stone.
DESCRIPTION: located in the churchyard of the Church of St Lawrence (Grade II*) the memorial takes the form of a gabled calvary cross with an octagonal shaft, surmounted on a rectangular pedestal. The whole stands on a two-stepped, square base.
There is an inscription of the north face of the pedestal that reads:
IN PROUD MEMORY OF / THE MEN OF TAYNTON / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914–1918.
The names of the 24 parishioners that died in that conflict are inscribed on the west and east face of the pedestal.
The south face of the pedestal bears the inscription:
SECOND WORLD WAR / 1939–1945 / (1 NAME) / DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE.
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, and therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
In October 1919 the rector of Taynton, Reverend B K Foster, was given permission to erect a memorial cross in the churchyard of the Church of St Lawrence, along with a wooden memorial tablet in the church. The cost of the memorial, which was erected in 1921, was met by the parishioners.
Following the Second World War a dedication and the name of one man who had died in the conflict were added to the memorial.
In about 2013 metal plaques were fixed to the tread of the upper step of the base of the memorial. These are transcribed with the original inscriptions on the stone pedestal which are becoming difficult to read due to weathering.
Reasons for Listing
Taynton War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as a well-executed example of a calvary cross war memorial.
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice that it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Lawrence (Grade II*) and a number of Grade II-listed monuments within the churchyard.
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.
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