Summary
First World War memorial, erected in about 1920; a further name added after the Second World War.
Description
First World War memorial, erected in about 1920; a further name added after the Second World War.
MATERIALS: stone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a canopied Latin calvary on a slender, tapering octagonal shaft with moulded collar and foot, on a square plinth with notched upper corners, atop two-tiered, pentagonal base (upper step shallow, lower step deep and corniced). The square plinth bears the inscriptions in relief lettering.
The inscription reads: TO THE/ GLORY OF GOD/ AND TO KEEP IN REMEMBRANCE/ THE/ MEN OF UPPER SHERINGHAM/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR/ RIGHT AND JUSTICE IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918// (NAMES)// 1939 - 1945/ (NAME)/ GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN/ THAN THIS THAT A MAN LAY DOWN/ HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIEND.
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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Upper Sheringham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the eight members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was altered after the Second World War to include the name of a serviceman who died in that conflict.
Reasons for Listing
Upper Sheringham 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 community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* for its design, a simple but dignified calvary.
Group value:
* with the Church of All Saints (Grade I), in whose churchyard it stands, and the Grade II-listed water conduit to the west.
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 Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]