Summary
A war memorial erected in the early 1920s in the churchyard of St Peter's church in Wapley, in memory of the men of the parish who lost their lives whilst serving their country in the First World War.
Reasons for Designation
Wapley war memorial, erected in the early 1920s by a local sculptor, J Dawson, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a simple yet refined Latin cross design, well-crafted in stone, and, rather unusual, inscribed with the name of its sculptor;
* Intactness: the memorial is unaltered;
* Group value: it has strong value with the listed Church of St Peter and the three listed entrance gates to the churchyard.
History
The war memorial, made by J Dawson of Downend, a local sculptor, was erected in the early 1920s in the churchyard of St Peter's church in Wapley, in commemoration of the men of the parish who lost their lives whilst serving their country in the First World War.
Details
A war memorial by the sculptor J Dawson, erected in the early 1920s in the churchyard of St Peter's Church in Wapley, in memory of the men of the parish who lost their lives whilst serving their country in the First World War.
The memorial, constructed in granite with a total height of c3.5 m, comprises a Latin cross set on a tapering shaft, positioned on a three tiered rectangular base surmounting a rectangular low plinth.
The front of the base is polished and inscribed with leaded lettering reading:
ERECTED TO THE MEMORY / OF THE FALLEN / OF THIS
PARISH / IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1919 / (Names)/ GREATER
LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS/ THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS
LIFE/ FOR HIS FRIENDS.
Below, set in the left-hand corner of the plinth, is a small marble plaque with leaded lettering reading:
J. DAWSON / SCULPTOR / DOWNEND
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, 11 January 2017.