Kemsing War Memorial
St Edith's Well, High Street, Kemsing, Kent, TN15 6NA
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1430666
- Date first listed:
- 24-Nov-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Kemsing War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- St Edith's Well, High Street, Kemsing, Kent, TN15 6NA
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1430666
- Date first listed:
- 24-Nov-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Kemsing War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- St Edith's Well, High Street, Kemsing, Kent, TN15 6NA
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:
- St Edith's Well, High Street, Kemsing, Kent, TN15 6NA
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Kent
- District:
- Sevenoaks (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Kemsing
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ5550058677
Summary
First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Kemsing War Memorial, situated on the High Street, 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;
* Architectural Interest: an elegant memorial cross designed by Godfrey Pinkerton FRIBA;
* Group Value: with a number of Grade II-listed buildings in close proximity.
History
The land where Kemsing War Memorial now stands was bought by Sir Mark Collet, who commissioned architect Godfrey Pinkerton to design the memorial. Work such as levelling the ground, mixing cement and laying bricks was done by the men of the village voluntarily. The memorial cost £855. It was unveiled on Easter Saturday, 26 March 1921, by Lord Sackville, owner of Knole House in nearby Sevenoaks. It was dedicated by Avison Scott, Archdeacon of Tonbridge and first class cricketer, assisted by the vicar and the leader of the local Free Church. Forty ex-servicemen attended the service.
In 1948, 21 names of the fallen of the Second World War were added. The memorial was re-dedicated by the Dean of Rochester, Thomas Crick, on 31 July 1949. Conservation and repair work was carried out in 2002, funded by War Memorials Trust. This included repairs to the paving and coping.
Godfrey Pinkerton FRIBA (1858-1937) was articled to Messrs H and HP Fry of Liverpool from 1875 for four years, and then attended Liverpool School of Art. Based in London, he was responsible for buildings including the Grade II-listed Church of St Mary, Summertown.
Details
The memorial comprises a stone Latin cross with moulded capital ends set on a tall, slim octagonal shaft, rising from a two-stepped octagonal plinth. This stands on a semi-circular brick wall, from which extend two flanking walls. The semi-circular wall encloses a circular paved area in front of the memorial, and three steps lead down from this. There are metal plaques on the brick wall under the memorial, on either side of the memorial on the curved wall, and on the pillars at the junction between the curved wall and the straight flanking walls.
The plaque directly beneath the plinth bears an inscription that reads IN MEMORY OF THE/ MEN AND WOMEN OF KEMSING/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WARS/ 1914 – 1918/ 1939 – 1945/ THAT WE MIGHT LIVE. A larger plaque to the left reads REMEMBER THOSE WHO DIED, followed by the names of those who fell in the First World War, and LORD GOD OF HOSTS BE WITH US YET,/ LEST WE FORGET, LEST WE FORGET. Smaller plaques on the left pillar read FROM WAR/ AND THE SIN/ OF FORGET-/ FULNESS/ GOOD LORD/ DELIVER US/ 1914 – 1918 and FROM THIS/ PARISH 144/ MEN WENT/ FORTH TO/ BEAR ARMS/ 1914 – 1918.
Another plaque to the right lists those who fell in the Second World War. In addition, plaques on the right pillar read FROM/ THIS PARISH/ 300 MEN AND/ WOMEN JOINED/ HIS MAJESTY’S/ FORCES / 1939 – 1945 and IS IT/ NOTHING TO/ YOU, ALL YE/ THAT PASS/ BY/ 1939-1945.
The memorial stands in a small garden in which, to the west, is the medieval St Edith's Well.
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, 30 November 2016.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 30/11/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/54530
Kemsing Heritage Centre – War Memorial entry, accessed 15th June 2015 from http://www.kemsingheritagecentre.org.uk/Kemsing%20War%20Memorial.htm
War Memorials Online, accessed 30/11/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/71066
War Memorials Trust – Kemsing entry, accessed 15th June 2015 from http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=264
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 21-Jun-2026 at 22:16:26.
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.