Chingford War Memorial
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1418307
- Date first listed:
- 20-Jan-2014
- List Entry Name:
- Chingford War Memorial
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1418307
- Date first listed:
- 20-Jan-2014
- List Entry Name:
- Chingford War Memorial
- Location Description:
- Junction of Kings Head Hill and The Ridgeway, Chingford, London
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
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- Waltham Forest (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ3843094415
Summary
War memorial, erected in 1921 to commemorate the fallen of the First World War.
Reasons for Designation
The Chingford War Memorial is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: it has strong historical and cultural value in a local and national context, and is a sombre reminder of the losses suffered through international conflicts;
* Design: it is an elegant form made from good quality materials;
* Group value: occupying a prominent position on the edge of the former village green, the memorial forms a good group with the listed Victorian church and lychgate.
History
The Chingford War Memorial was commissioned by public subscription to commemorate the 242 local men that fell in the First World War. It was designed by WA Lewis and unveiled in a ceremony in September 1921 by Lord Lambourne, and dedicated by the Bishop of Chelmsford.
Following the Second World War a further inscription was added devoted to the casualties of World War II, and a modern plaque has been added commemorating those victims of conflict up to the present day.
Details
War memorial cross unveiled in 1921, designed by WA Lewis.
MATERIALS & PLAN: constructed from granite, with an octagonal stepped paved base. It stands in a paved area within a small garden at an intersection on the edge of the former village green.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial has a tapered square shaft surmounted by a Celtic cross. The rectangular granite plinth has applied lettering on each face, the front of which is inscribed ‘IN / GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE / OF THE / MEN OF CHINGFORD / WHO DIED IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY / IN THE / GREAT WAR 1914-1918 / "WE ARE THE DEAD..... / TO YOU FROM FAILING HANDS / WE THROW THE TORCH / BE YOURS TO HOLD IT HIGH” ', and on the frame to the panel: ‘AND OF THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES 1939 – 1945’. A panel applied to the plinth step is inscribed ‘IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN OF CHINGFORD / 1945 TO PRESENT DAY, LEST WE FORGET’. The other sides of the plinth are inscribed with the names of the 242 fallen soldiers from WWI.
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, 17 February 2017.
Sources
Websites
Chingford War Memorial, accessed from www.roll-of-honour.com/Essex/Chingford.html
War Memorials Online, accessed 17 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/227533
War Memorials Register, accessed 17 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/12548
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 22-Jun-2026 at 16:23:52.
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.