Didsbury War Memorial
Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2DN
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1270517
- Date first listed:
- 06-Jun-1994
- List Entry Name:
- Didsbury War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2DN
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2000-08-21
- Reference:
- IOE01/00522/02
- Rights:
- © Mr Leo Jacobs. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1270517
- Date first listed:
- 06-Jun-1994
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 17-Mar-2016
- List Entry Name:
- Didsbury War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2DN
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2DN
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Manchester (Metropolitan Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SJ8468491306
Summary
First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Didsbury War Memorial, which stands on Wilmslow Road, 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 local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a tall and imposing memorial cross;
* Group value: with the Rhodes Memorial Clock Tower and Didsbury Public Library, both Grade II-listed.
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 Didsbury as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community.
Didsbury War Memorial was erected in honour of 174 local servicemen who fell in the First World War. It was unveiled on 4 July 1921 by Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Lord Derby, and dedicated by the Rector of St James' Church, Didsbury, Reverend CC Ellis. Names were added to commemorate the 67 who died in the Second World War, following that conflict. In 2005 the memorial was refurbished by Manchester City Council in time for Remembrance Sunday.
Details
The Portland stone memorial is located on Wilmslow Road, opposite the Rhodes Memorial Clock Tower (Grade II) and in front of Didsbury Public Library (Grade II). Enclosed within a small, railed, garden, the memorial stands at the end of a short paved path, flanked by two small lawns. The three-stepped stone base is surmounted by a tall, two-stage plinth, square on plan, dying back via offsets to a pedestal bearing the shaft, topped by a small cross fleury.
The upper stage of the plinth bears black, rectangular, metal plaques on each side, on which the names of the fallen are inscribed in white lettering. The pedestal is decorated with carved wreaths and coats of arms, while tall flambeaux are carved in low relief on each side of the cross shaft.
The principal dedicatory inscription on the front face of the plinth reads DIDSBURY/ WAR MEMORIAL/ 1914-1919/ TO THE MEMORY OF THE/ SACRED DEAD OF THIS/ VILLAGE, WHO HAVING LEFT/ ALL THAT WAS DEAR TO/ THEM, ENDURED HARDSHIPS,/ FACED DANGERS AND FINALLY/ PAID THE SUPREME SACRIFICE/ IN DEFENCE OF KING/ AND COUNTRY./ "LET THEIR NAMES BE EVER/ REMEMBERED WITH GRATITUDE”/ “MAY THEIR SOULS REST/ IN PEACE."
The Second World War dedication is incised into the stone of the lower stage below, reading IN MEMORY OF THOSE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE SECOND GREAT WAR/ 1939 – 1945. The First World War names are listed on three metal plaques on the remaining three sides of the plinth, with the Second World War names on a metal plaque to the lower stage.
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, 30 January 2017.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 458460
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 25 Jan 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/10712
Didsbury war memorial, accessed 25 Jan 2016 from http://stonechaser.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/didsbury-war-memorial.html
War Memorials and Public Art, Manchester City Council, October 2007, accessed 25 Jan 2016 from http://www.manchester.gov.uk/egov_downloads/War_Memorials_and_Public_Art_October_2007.pdf
War Memorials Online, accessed 30 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/214730
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 10-Jun-2026 at 21:36:33.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.