Newton Abbot War Memorial, including the surrounding stepped stone base, and railings

Summary

War memorial, erected between 1920-22, added to after the Second World War and again following later conflicts, surrounded by a stepped base and decorative railings.

Reasons for Designation

Newton Abbot War Memorial, including the surrounding stepped stone base, and railings is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: it utilises high-quality bronze sculpture and well-crafted carved stone work to produce an elegant and impressive design;
* Historical interest: it is a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by this community in both world wars and subsequent conflicts, it is of strong historic and cultural significance both at a local and a national level;
* Level of intactness: it is further enhanced by the survival of the original boundary railings and carved piers which also demonstrate a good level of craftsmanship;
* Group value: it stands near to several designated sites including the Roman Catholic Church of St Joseph (listed Grade II) to the west and the Church of St Paul (listed Grade II*) to the south.

History

The Newton Abbot war memorial was proposed in 1920, supported financially by local subsidies. Originally intended to be located in Courtney Park, it was ultimately erected nearby at the intersection of Queen Street, St. Paul's Road and The Avenue. The memorial was designed by Borough Surveyor Coleridge Dingle White. He commissioned sculptor Courtenay Edward Maxwell Pollock RBS (1896-1933) to create a bronze figure of Victory which would stand on top of a column. Also described by its sculptor as Freedom, the figure was modelled on a French woman who was likely the inspiration for the bronze Victory with on top of the Ilfracombe memorial (listed at Grade II), also attributed to the sculptor. Due to Pollock falling ill and labour issues at the Parlanti Foundry Works in London, the casting of the bronze elements delayed the monument's completion. The unveiling and dedication of the war memorial took place on Sunday 23 July 1922 at 3pm.

Following the Second World War a commemorative wall was added to the rear of the memorial . As well as the names of deceased servicemen, it also included the names of civilians killed in the town during bombing campaigns. Newton Abbot was viewed by Germany as a strategically important point on the communications route for Plymouth and it was subject to at least 65 air raids.

The casualties of subsequent conflicts were recognised on stone plaques beside the main memorial.

Details

War memorial, erected between 1920-22, added to after the Second World War and again following later conflicts, surrounded by a stepped base and decorative railings.

MATERIALS: the memorial is constructed of Plymouth and Bath stone with bronze plaques and sculpture, and surround by wrought-iron railings.

PLAN: the squared plinth stands in front of a later curved wall, and is located within a rounded-triangular garden plot.

DESCRIPTION: a bronze female standing figure of Victory with outstretched arms holding broken chains stands on the abacus of a Tuscan-style column. The square plinth has bronze panels. The north face reads 'TO THE GLORIOUS MEMORY OF THE MEN/ OF NEWTON ABBOT/ THEY DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR/ 1914 - 1918'. The other faces of the plinth include the names of those who died during the First World War.

To the north is a curved wall circa 1.5m high and 10m long. The wall has a moulded plinth and is topped by a cornice with a low pediment in the centre. The north side contains bronze plaques bearing the names of servicemen and civilians who died during the Second World War. The Roman-influenced design of the central plaques includes the dedication PRO PATRIA/ THESE TABLETS WERE ERECTED/ TO HONOUR/ AND RECORD THE NAMES OF/ THOSE WHO MADE THE SUPREME/ SACRIFICE. The wings of the wall on either side contain the names of those civilians and serviceman who died during between 1939-45.

The gravel area in front of the wall includes two stone tablets. The left is dedicated to a serviceman who died during the Korean Campaign. The tablet to the right is dedicated to those who died in service to their country since 1945.

The memorial stands on top of a stepped-stone base and paving.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the triangular memorial garden is surrounded by a low stone plinth topped by decorative spearhead railings with alternating wrought-iron and cream brick-and-carved-stone piers.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 8 December 2016.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

464515

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Cherry, B, Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Devon, (2004), 593
Gray, Todd, Lest Devon Forgets, (2010), 134-9

Websites
CasualtiesofthebombingofNewtonAbbot, accessed 25 August 2015 from http://www.devonheritage.org/Places/Newton%20Abbot/CasualtiesofthebombingofNewtonAbbot.htm
NewtonAbbotWarMemorials, accessed 25 August 2015 from http://www.devonheritage.org/Places/Newton%20Abbot/NewtonAbbotWarMemorials.htm
War Memorials Register, accessed 25/08/2015 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1622
Courtenay Edward Maxwell Pollock RBA, accessed 25 August 2008 from http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib1_1219068820
The War Memorial:, accessed 25 August 2015 from http://www.museum-newtonabbot.org.uk/war-memorial
War Memorials Online, accessed 08/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/120911

End of official list entry

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