Summary
A First World War memorial of 1921, damaged in 1995 and rebuilt close to its original location in 2008.
Description
A First World War memorial, unveiled 1921, rebuilt and relocated 2008.
MATERIALS: sandstone
DESCRIPTION: standing in the churchyard of St Paul the Apostle (Grade II-listed), to the west of the church, the memorial takes the form of a stone floriated cross head on a tapering octagonal shaft. The cross shaft rises from a plinth, octagonal on plan, with a moulded foot which is set on a two-stepped base, the lower step being square.
The south-east face of the plinth bears an incised inscription which reads TO THE GLORY/ OF GOD/ AND IN/ HONOURED MEMORY/ OF OUR GALLANT DEAD/ WHO FELL IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ THEIR NAME LIVETH/ FOR EVERMORE. The names of the 100 First World War fallen are recorded on the remaining faces of the plinth. They are listed alphabetically without ranks. The north-west face of the plinth also bears a dedication to a member of the church who helped to restore the memorial in 2008.
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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Pendleton as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 100 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The War Memorial at The Church of St Paul was unveiled in 1921, commemorating parishioners who gave their lives in the First World War. It was damaged by vandalism in 1995, after which the memorial was kept in pieces in storage until it was repaired and rebuilt in 2008. The memorial was originally sited close to the north-west of the church, but was rebuilt further to the west.
The Church of St Paul serves the chapelry of Paddington, which was established in 1848 and originally straddled the parishes of Eccles and Manchester.
Reasons for Listing
The War Memorial at The Church of St Paul, a First World War memorial of 1921, rebuilt and relocated 2008, 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 local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* for the strong design interest of the floriated cross, tapering octagonal shaft and octagonal plinth.
Group value:
* with the adjacent Church of St Paul the Apostle (National Heritage List for England 1390491).
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
Period Property Manual (New Ed)
Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
England's Post-War Listed Buildings
Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)