Portesham War Memorial
Churchyard of St Peter's Church, Church Lane, Portesham, Dorset, DT3 4HB
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1428074
- Date first listed:
- 19-Aug-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Portesham War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Churchyard of St Peter's Church, Church Lane, Portesham, Dorset, DT3 4HB
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1428074
- Date first listed:
- 19-Aug-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Portesham War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Churchyard of St Peter's Church, Church Lane, Portesham, Dorset, DT3 4HB
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:
- Churchyard of St Peter's Church, Church Lane, Portesham, Dorset, DT3 4HB
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Dorset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Portesham
- National Grid Reference:
- SY6026685808
Summary
First and Second World War memorial. Erected c1920 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.
Reasons for Designation
Portesham war memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the church of St Peter, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Group value: with the Grade I listed church of St Peter and Grade II listed monuments in the churchyard.
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw a huge wave of public commemoration with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country. One such memorial was erected in c1920 to commemorate 14 residents of Portesham who died during the conflict. A further inscription was added to the memorial following the Second World War, to commemorate seven residents who lost their lives.
Details
First and Second World War memorial. Erected c1920 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.
MATERIALS: granite set in a concrete foundation.
DESCRIPTION: the war memorial stands in the churchyard of the church of St Peter, near the centre of Portesham, and faces east. It is to the south of the Grade I listed medieval church. The memorial comprises a rough-hewn granite cross aiguisé (pointed cross) upon a tapering shaft c2.5m high that rises from a square plinth and two-tier stepped base. Both the plinth and base are set diagonally and rest on a concrete foundation, altogether 1m high. The south-east face of the plinth is inscribed in black lettering: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE OF THIS PARISH/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919/ (NAMES) and the north-east side is inscribed: (NAMES)/ R.I.P. There are 14 names of the Fallen of the First World War, including regiment. On the north-west side is the inscription: 1939-1945/ (NAMES)/ R.I.P, with seven names of the Fallen.
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, 7 December 2016.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 07/12/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/110
War Memorials Online, accessed 07/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/122337
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 06-Jun-2026 at 15:01:09.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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