Kettering Parish Church War Memorial

St Peter and St Paul Church, Sheep Street, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN16 0AL

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Overview

First World War memorial, 1921, alongside the parish church of St Peter and St Paul, Kettering. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1430845
Date first listed:: 19-Nov-2015
List Entry Name:: Kettering Parish Church War Memorial
Statutory Address:: St Peter and St Paul Church, Sheep Street, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN16 0AL

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1430845
Date first listed:: 19-Nov-2015
Date of most recent amendment:: 13-Dec-2022
List Entry Name:: Kettering Parish Church War Memorial
Statutory Address 1:: St Peter and St Paul Church, Sheep Street, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN16 0AL

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

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

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

Statutory Address:: St Peter and St Paul Church, Sheep Street, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN16 0AL

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

District:: North Northamptonshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Kettering Town
National Grid Reference:: SP8671478424

Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, alongside the parish church of St Peter and St Paul, Kettering.

Reasons for Designation

Kettering Parish Church War Memorial, alongside the church of St Peter and St Paul, 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 First World War.

Architectural interest:

* a well-executed stone Calvary, its design complementing the late medieval church and especially its north porch with figurative sculpture.

Group value:

* with the Grade I-listed church of St Peter and St Paul.

History

Kettering’s principal First World War memorial, a cenotaph (National Heritage List for England entry 1426574, listed at Grade II), stands alongside the Alfred East Art Gallery. This separate memorial cross stands nearby, alongside the town’s historic parish church of St Peter and St Paul (NHLE entry 1051642, listed at Grade I), dedicated to the members of its congregation who had died in the conflict. It may be that (as with the Cenotaph by Sir Edwin Lutyens in Whitehall) the overtly non-Christian character of the town’s cenotaph caused disquiet among at least some of the Anglican parishioners, prompting this complementary memorial with its strong Christian imagery. This suggestion is strengthened by the fact that both memorials were unveiled on the same day in 1921.

The memorial was refurbished in 2011 at a cost of £20,000 and re-dedicated at that year’s Service of Remembrance by the Bishop of Brixworth.

Details

The memorial stands outside the north porch door to the parish church. Overall about 5m high, it comprises a Calvary carved in a shelly limestone, with a gabled crucifix atop an octagonal shaft rising from an octagonal plinth. That stands on a three-stage octagonal York stone base. The shaft bears a raised crown of thorns on its upper part with ‘HIS’ inside.

On the front face of the plinth carved in raised lettering is ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL/ MEMORY OF THE MEN/ OF THIS CHURCH WHO/ DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ 1914 1918’. On the opposing face is carved ‘THE NAMES OF THOSE/ WHOM THE CROSS/ COMMEMORATES ARE/ INSCRIBED ON A TABLET/ IN THE NORTH CHAPEL/ OF THIS CHURCH’.

This List entry was 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, 17 January 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 17 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/194322
War Memorials Register, accessed 14 October 2015 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/42084
Other
"War Memorial Service After £20,000 Of Work", Northants Evening Telegraph, 13 November 2011

Legal

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