Summary
First World War memorial of about 1920 by Fosbrooke and Bedingfield, with later addition for the Second World War.
Description
First World War memorial of about 1920 by Fosbrooke and Bedingfield, with later addition for the Second World War.
DESCRIPTION
The war memorial is square on plan and comprises a stone wheel-head cross decorated with interlaced carvings, a tapering shaft and a square-sectioned, tapering plinth. It stands upon a two-stepped base. A slate tablet on the front (east) face of the plinth carries the dedicatory inscription which reads:
IN MEMORY OF THE MEN/ OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914-1918/ (NAMES).
The base carries a slate tablet inscribed:
ALSO IN THANKFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE/ WHO FELL IN THE WORLD WAR 1939-1945/ (NAMES).
In front of the war memorial is a stone vase memorial to a local serviceman who died in Hong Kong in 1955.
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, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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 Claybrooke as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 14 parishioners who lost their lives in the conflict. The exact date of the memorial is not known, but a faculty was granted for its erection in August 1920. It was designed by Leicester practice, Fosbrooke and Bedingfield, who were also responsible for the war memorial (Grade II) at Ashby de la Zouch, as well as a number of commissions in Leicester.
The names of the four parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial, while a memorial vase records the death of a serviceman in Hong Kong in 1955.
Reasons for Listing
Claybrooke Parva War Memorial of 1920, designed by Fosbrooke and Bedingfield, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* as a thoughtfully-designed and well-proportioned war memorial in the form of a wheel-head cross.
Group value:
* it forms a group with the Grade I listed Church of St Peter.
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
Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)