Birstall War Memorial
War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St James the Great, Front Street, Birstall, Leicestershire
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1410088
- Date first listed:
- 26-Oct-2012
- List Entry Name:
- Birstall War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St James the Great, Front Street, Birstall, Leicestershire
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1410088
- Date first listed:
- 26-Oct-2012
- List Entry Name:
- Birstall War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St James the Great, Front Street, Birstall, Leicestershire
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 in the churchyard of the Church of St James the Great, Front Street, Birstall, Leicestershire
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Leicestershire
- District:
- Charnwood (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Birstall
- National Grid Reference:
- SK5968708866
Summary
War memorial designed by Howard Henry Thomson and unveiled in 1921.
Reasons for Designation
The war memorial, designed by Howard Henry Thomson and unveiled in 1921, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: it has special historic interest commemorating those members of the community who died in the First and Second World Wars;
* Architectural interest: the standard cross design has been enriched with cable moulding along the edges of the shaft and a carved sword of sacrifice on the east side;
* Group value: it has strong group value with the Grade II listed Church of St James the Great.
History
The war memorial was dedicated by the Venerable Archdeacon F. B. MacNutt and unveiled by Major General Sir A. R. Hoskins on 5 March 1921. The names of the fallen from the Second World War were later added. The memorial was designed by Howard Henry Thomson (1865-1922). Little is known of him except that he practised in Leicester and won the competition with Stockdale Harrison for Usher Hall, Edinburgh, c1910. Thomson does not have any listed buildings to his name.
Details
MATERIALS: Ashlar stone and slate plaque.
PLAN: the memorial is located to the east of the church at the edge of the churchyard.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is set on a square-shaped base with two shallow steps and one lower, segmental-shaped step, on the west side. It has a square plinth which supports the four-sided, tapered shaft, enriched along each edge with cable moulding, and surmounted by a plain square capital and wheel-head cross. Attached to the east side of the shaft is a stone carved sword of sacrifice. The plinth has slate memorial plaques on three sides with gold inscriptions. On the east side the inscription reads: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THE MEN OF BIRSTALL WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WARS 1914-1919 1939-1945’. On the west side the names of the fallen from the First World War are inscribed, and on the north side are those from the Second World War.
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, 10 August 2017.
Sources
Websites
, accessed from http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/
War Memorials Register, accessed 19 January 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/37801
War Memorials Online, accessed 10 August 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/250623
Other
Leicester Daily Post (29 April 1920), p. 6,
Illustrated Leicester Chronicle (12 March 1921), pp. 8-9,
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 29-Jun-2026 at 06:29:00.
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.