Fives Court War Memorial

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Explore this list entry

Overview

War memorial Fives Court, erected in memory of Capt William Eyre, and unveiled in 1924.
Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1421776
Date first listed:
07-Jan-2015
List Entry Name:
Fives Court War Memorial
User submitted image
Contributed by Alan Murray-Rust This photo may not represent the current condition of the site. Over 400,000 images and stories have been added to the Missing Pieces Project so far. Share your story.
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places. 

There is a problem

Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

Icon Buildings
Icon Scheduled monuments
Icon Parks and gardens
Icon Battlefields
Icon Shipwrecks

Find out more about listing

Local Heritage Hub

Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.

Discover more

Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1421776
Date first listed:
07-Jan-2015
List Entry Name:
Fives Court War Memorial
Location Description:
King Edward VI School, London Road, Retford, Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:
Nottinghamshire
District:
Bassetlaw (District Authority)
Parish:
Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:
SK7092280766

Summary

War memorial Fives Court, erected in memory of Capt William Eyre, and unveiled in 1924.

Reasons for Designation

The Fives Court, at King Edward VI School, London Road, Retford, unveiled in 1924 is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an unusual and poignant memorial to Capt William Eyre, who died of wounds in August 1915;
* Group value: for group value with the Grade II-listed former King Edward VI School, within the grounds of which it stands.

History

The memorial Fives Court was erected in memory of Capt William Eyre of the Lancashire Fusiliers, a former pupil and teacher, who died of wounds at Gallipoli on 19 August 1915 (not 1916 as the dedication plaque erroneously records). It was paid for by Mrs Mary Eyre, Capt Eyre’s mother, and unveiled on 20 October 1924 by the Mayor of Retford, Cllr JR Plant.

The Fives Court is located to the north-east of the front range of the grammar school built in 1855 and listed at Grade II in 1976 (NHLE 240932). The school's boundary wall next to London Road is also listed at Grade II.

Details

Fives Court war memorial, erected 1924.

MATERIALS: brick with stone copings.

DESCRIPTION: the Fives Court is of the ‘Rugby Fives’ type. Of red brick, it has a 4m high back wall and left- and right-hand stone-coped walls which curve downwards to pillar-like stops to the front. On the exterior of the left flank wall is a dedication stone which reads: IN MEMORY OF CAPT. WILLIAM EYRE,/ WHO DIED OF WOUNDS/ AUGUST 19th 1916/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.

The interior is rendered, and painted in grey and blue bands. It has a hard floor.

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
War Memorials Register, accessed 24 January 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/68287
War Memorials Online, accessed 10 August 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/193952

Other
Bassetlaw Outdoor War Memorials Survey, May 2014,

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Fives Court War Memorial

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 21-Jun-2026 at 05:05:23.

Download a full scale map (PDF)
© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

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.

Previous Overview
Next Comments and Photos