Alderley Edge War Memorial

Summary

WWI war memorial, 1922, designed by Sir Hubert Worthington, sandstone. Tapering octagonal column set upon an octagonal base and plinth and surmounted by a canopied lantern, low enclosing wall with bronze name plaques. Names of those lost during WWII added later.

Reasons for Designation

* Historic interest: It has strong cultural and historic significance within both a local and national context;
* Commemorative: It forms a poignant reminder of the effects of tragic world events on this local community;
* Design quality: The memorial's simple and elegant design incorporates richly carved stonework, and its prominence within the local area is enhanced by the surrounding paving and enclosing wall with styling reminiscent of a battlement;
* Group value: It has group value with the Grade II* listed St Phillip's Church situated immediately to the north-west.

History

Alderley Edge war memorial was designed by Sir Hubert Worthington and was erected in 1922. The memorial was unveiled and handed over to the District Council by Colonel W. Bromley Davenport on 29 April 1922. The names of men of the parish who died during WWII were added later.

Sir Hubert Worthington, who was born and lived in Alderley Edge, trained for two years under Sir Edwin Lutyens before he joined his brother Percy in the family firm, where he worked both regionally and nationally. WWII brought both industrial and restoration work to the practice and in 1943 Sir Hubert was appointed by the Imperial war Graves Commission as the principal architect for Egypt and North Africa. He was also involved in the reconstruction and restoration of a number of buildings, including the Middle and Inner Temples of the inns of court, City of London (carried out with Sir Edward Maufe and T.W. Sutcliffe) and Manchester Cathedral, which all suffered heavy bomb damage during WWII.

Details

Materials: It is constructed of sandstone.

Description: It consists of a tapering octagonal column surmounted by a canopied and buttressed lantern, which incorporates a small carved winged figure of St Michael holding a sword to the front (south-east) face. To the rear (north-west) face of the lantern is a carved cross; both carvings are set within cusped surrounds. Both of the lantern's side panels incorporate carved foliate decoration. The column is set upon an octagonal base and a stepped octagonal plinth. The base incorporates a stylised inscription to the front face, which reads 'To our Glorious/ Dead/ 1914/ 1918/ 1939/ 1945'. Above the inscription is a panel of carved foliate decoration, which continues around the remaining faces. Incorporated into a paving slab in front of the memorial is lettering, which reads 'EMILY F.A. HUTTON O.B.E./ FOR FOUR YEARS COMMANDANT/ OF THE BROOKDALE AUXILIARY/ MILITARY HOSPITAL/ ALDERLEY EDGE/ DIED 9TH FEBRUARY 1919'

The memorial is surrounded by stone-flag paving and is enclosed to three sides by a low wall with styling reminiscent of a battlement. The wall incorporates four wide piers in the style of raised merlons (the solid part of a battlement) with stepped pyramidal caps; those piers to the two front corners are larger and L-shaped. Each pier incorporates a central, square raised section (two exist to each of the larger piers) with carved foliate decoration and 'in memoriam' in carved stylised lettering. Below bronze plaques record the name, rank and regiment of those killed; the four plaques to the two larger piers record the 72 names of those lost during WWI, whilst the plaques to the two rear piers record the 24 names of those lost during WWII. The rear face of the enclosing wall incorporates some tooled stonework.


This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 2 December 2021 to correct the date of construction and to reformat the text to current standards

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, 26 January 2017.

Sources

Websites
Sir (John) Hubert Worthington (1886-1963), accessed from http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/65161/37029
War Memorials Register, accessed 26 January 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1981
War Memorials Online, accessed 26 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/120566

End of official list entry

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