Beckenham war memorial
Beckenham War Memorial, HIgh Street, Beckenham
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1406218
- Date first listed:
- 03-Feb-2012
- List Entry Name:
- Beckenham war memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Beckenham War Memorial, HIgh Street, Beckenham
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1406218
- Date first listed:
- 03-Feb-2012
- List Entry Name:
- Beckenham war memorial
- Location Description:
- At the junction of High Street, Rectory Road, Beckenham Road and Croydon Road.
- Statutory Address 1:
- Beckenham War Memorial, HIgh Street, Beckenham
- Statutory Address 2:
- Beckenham War Memorial, High Street, Beckenham
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:
- Beckenham War Memorial, HIgh Street, Beckenham
- Statutory Address:
- Beckenham War Memorial, High Street, Beckenham
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- Bromley (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ3697469380
Summary
War memorial. Erected 1921. Newbury Abbot Trent, sculptor.
Reasons for Designation
Beckenham War Memorial is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as 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
* Artistic interest: it is an elegantly detailed monument with bas-relief carvings by a notable sculptor
History
Beckenham War Memorial was unveiled on 24 July 1921 by former army sergeant, Bert Hanscombe, a council employed dustman, and one of 9 brothers who fought in, and survived, the First World War.
By Remembrance Day 1946, the inscription on the memorial had been altered to commemorate those who fell in the Second World War; however the names of those who fell during this later conflict were not added until 1950. At this time the original Roll of Honour plaques were replaced with a new set, allowing for almost double the number of names to be listed. The plaques list not just HM Forces, but also civilians, civil defence and auxiliary fire service. Another small plaque has been added since, commemorating those who have given their lives in conflicts and peace-keeping missions around the world since the Second World War.
Details
The memorial is in Portland stone, c7.5m high, and takes the form of a tall column, rectangular in section, on a two-tier base, surmounted by a stylised in-filled Celtic cross. There are bas-relief carvings on both faces of the cross. To the north, the carving depicts a mounted St George slaying the dragon, and on the south face the carving depicts the phoenix rising from the ashes, with the word IMMORTALITY spelled out in bronze letters above. The north face of the column bears the following inscription in applied bronze lettering:
IN GRATEFUL MEMORY / OF/ THE MEN AND WOMEN OF / BECKENHAM / WHO FELL IN THE TWO / WORLD WARS / 1914-1918 / 1939-1945
The south face of the column bears the following inscription in applied bronze lettering:
HE DIED THE NOBLEST DEATH / A MAN MAY DIE / FIGHTING FOR GOD AND / RIGHT AND LIBERTY / AND SUCH A DEATH IS / IMMORTALITY
The Roll of Honour is on a number of bronze plaques arranged around the lower part of the column.
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, 9 February 2017.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 9 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/3842
War Memorials Online, accessed 9 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/118835
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 25-Jun-2026 at 02:07:27.
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.