War Memorial
War Memorial, Main Street
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1396591
- Date first listed:
- 08-Mar-2011
- List Entry Name:
- War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- War Memorial, Main Street
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1396591
- Date first listed:
- 08-Mar-2011
- List Entry Name:
- War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- War Memorial, Main Street
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:
- War Memorial, Main Street
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Leicestershire
- District:
- North West Leicestershire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Breedon on the Hill
- National Grid Reference:
- SK 40354 22893
Reasons for Designation
The Norman-style war memorial in Breedon on the Hill, constructed in 1921, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: the memorial has special historic interest commemorating those members of the community who died in the First and Second World Wars.
* Architectural interest: the memorial is a rare early-C20 example of a vernacular building constructed with local stone by local men to commemorate fallen friends. Its circular, Norman-style form takes its inspiration from other buildings in the village, rooting it architecturally and aesthetically in its locality.
* Rarity: in contrast to the standard war memorial design, the Norman-style structure at Breedon on the Hill is extremely unusual. There are no listed examples of C20 war memorials in a similar form, and its rarity gives it considerable special interest.
Details
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 28 November 2022 to amend date of construction, correct spelling of builder's name and to reformat the text to current standards
1286/0/10025
BREEDON ON THE HILL
Village Green
MAIN STREET
War Memorial
08-MAR-11
II
War memorial built in 1921 by local men Messrs Sault, Lester and Barsby.
The war memorial is located on the green in the centre of the village. It is a small, round, Norman-style building constructed of polygonal, Carnoniferous limestone with a shallow domed roof covered in stone slates, surmounted by a stone-capped finial and Latin cross. The stone-capped parapet has four embrasures and is supported by a plain corbel table. There are four regularly spaced, round-arched doorways with projecting imposts, and elaborate wrought-iron gates. In between two doorways is a marble tablet which is set into a round-arched recess with jagged stones forming a chevron pattern. The tablet is inscribed 'ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF THE MEN OF BREEDON WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919' (names) '1939-1945' (names). The interior contains four tall alcoves positioned in between the doorways.
HISTORY
The war memorial in Breedon on the Hill commemorates the fallen from the First and Second World Wars. It was built in 1921 by local men Messrs Sault, Lester and Barsbywith stone from Breedon quarry, supplied by the quarry owner J. G. Shields. The cost of labour and other materials was met by public subscription which raised £150. The unveiling by the Countess of Loudoun took place before a crowd of about 500 people, including around fifty ex-soldiers of the Parish. An undated photograph, probably taken in the 1920s/30s, shows a low circular wall constructed of polygonal stone around the memorial which has since been removed. In the 1950s, Robert Harvey, the local blacksmith, whose smithy overlooked the memorial, created the wrought-iron gates that were fitted into the four arched doorways.
SOURCES
UK National Inventory of War Memorials, http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/, accessed 3 December 2010.
Pevsner, Nikolaus, The Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland, 2nd edn revised by Elizabeth Williamson (2003).
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
The Norman-style war memorial in Breedon on the Hill, constructed in 1921, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: the memorial has special historic interest commemorating those members of the community who died in the First and Second World Wars.
* Architectural interest: the memorial is a rare early-C20 example of a vernacular building constructed with local stone by local men to commemorate fallen friends. Its circular, Norman-style form takes its inspiration from other buildings in the village, rooting it architecturally and aesthetically in its locality.
* Rarity: in contrast to the standard war memorial design, the Norman-style structure at Breedon on the Hill is extremely unusual. There are no listed examples of C20 war memorials in a similar form, and its rarity gives it considerable special interest.
This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 20 January 2017.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 509672
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 3 December 2010 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/37748
War Memorials Online, accessed 20 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/188527
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 06-Jun-2026 at 23:08:41.
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.