Coombe Bissett and Homington War Memorial
The Churchyard, St Michael and All Angels Church, Coombe Bissett, Wiltshire, SP5 4LP
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1428386
- Date first listed:
- 17-Aug-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Coombe Bissett and Homington War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- The Churchyard, St Michael and All Angels Church, Coombe Bissett, Wiltshire, SP5 4LP
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
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:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
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 moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1428386
- Date first listed:
- 17-Aug-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Coombe Bissett and Homington War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- The Churchyard, St Michael and All Angels Church, Coombe Bissett, Wiltshire, SP5 4LP
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:
- The Churchyard, St Michael and All Angels Church, Coombe Bissett, Wiltshire, SP5 4LP
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Coombe Bissett
- National Grid Reference:
- SU1082926334
Summary
First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Coombe Bissett and Homington War Memorial, situated in the churchyard of the church of St Michael and All Angels, 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 local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed Church of St Michael and numerous listed monuments in the churchyard.
History
Coombe Bissett and Homington War Memorial was designed by Captain Maurice Marsden Wood RE, and constructed by Gething and Co, Chilmark. It had been erected by 1924, paid for by donations from parishioners. The upkeep of the memorial was funded by a trust set up in 1924 by Lady Caroline Benson, widow of Major General Sir Frederick William Benson (d1916), whose name is recorded on the memorial (responsibility for upkeep was transferred to the Parish Council in 1990). The names of parishioners who fell in the Second World War were added in 1950. Remedial work funded by War Memorials Trust, including the repair of eroded stone in the shaft, was carried out in 2014.
Details
The memorial stands in the churchyard of the church of St Michael (Grade I) in a prominent position just beyond the lychgate. Built of Portland stone, it consists of a Maltese cross decorated with a Greek cross carved in relief, rising from a tapering octagonal shaft. That stands on an octagonal plinth, placed on a square base and three steps.
The front of the plinth bears the principal inscription, IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN OF/ COOMBE BISSETT AND HOMINGTON/ WHO DIED IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR/ KING AND COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1919. The names of those who fell in the First World War are inscribed on three of the four faces of the base. An inscription on the front face of the upper step reads THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.
In addition, an inscription on the rear face of the plinth reads 1939 – 1945, with the names of those who fell in the Second World War listed on the base below. The name of the architect and the company who executed the memorial are inscribed on the step below. All inscriptions are incised and painted black.
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, 16 December 2016.
Sources
Websites
Wiltshire Community History, Coombe Bissett, accessed 25/06/2015 from http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=70
War Memorials Trust, Grants Showcase - Coombe Bissett, accessed 25/06/2015 from http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=1103
War Memorials Register, accessed 16/12/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/23890
War Memorials Online, accessed 16/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/100235
Other
"2014 War Memorial Short History", supplied by Coombe Bissett and Homington Parish Council (unpublished document)
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 28-Jun-2026 at 06:15:54.
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.