Summary
A war memorial, constructed in 1919, designed by John Coates Carter.
Reasons for Designation
The War Memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St Paul and St Stephen, constructed in 1919 to designs by John Coates Carter, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community;
* Architectural interest: for the quality of the design and craftsmanship of this sombre and dignified memorial, with its poignant figure of Christ, and its association with John Coates Carter, a recognised Arts and Crafts architect and designer.
History
The Church of St Paul, now (2014) St Paul and St Stephen, was built in the early 1880s. The area in which it stands was until then a relatively rural one, known as South Hamlet, until around 1880, when it became part of the city of Gloucester. Suburban expansion followed, leading to the need for a new church to serve the new population of the area. A competition for the new church in 1880 was won by local Gloucester architect, Capel Nankivell Tripp (circa 1844/5-1883). Due to lack of funds, the church was only partly built in the 1880s, with the nave and tower left incomplete when the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Gloucester on 11 October 1883. It was eventually extended in 1938-9, though the tower was never completed.
In 1919, a war memorial, in the form of a polygonal pulpit constructed from Bisley stone, with a timber crucifix, by John Coates Carter (1859-1927), a noted Arts and Crafts architect who worked mainly in South Wales, but moved at the outbreak of the First World War to Prestbury in Cheltenham, close to Gloucester. Its consecration was witnessed by a crowd of around 3000 people.
Details
A war memorial, dating from 1919 and designed by John Coates Carter (1859-1927).
MATERIALS: Bisley stone, with a timber cross and bronze sculpture.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of an octagonal pulpit, set on a plinth; the pulpit is open to the rear and corbelled out to the front with a strongly-moulded corbel. Its faces are carved with texts and the names of the Fallen, much weathered, and the inscription: IN PEACE 1914-1919. Above this is set a timber cross with a bronze figure of the crucified Christ.
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, 25 July 2017.
