Summary
First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Wheatley War Memorial, situated on Bell Lane, 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 war memorial cross by Alfred B Yates (1867-1944);
* Group value: with 8, Bell Lane (Grade II-listed).
History
Wheatley War Memorial stands to the south of the High Street, in a walled garden on the site of a medieval chapel demolished in 1792. The village’s first memorial, unveiled on 12 June 1921 but demolished in the 1970s, stood nearby. The present cross, designed by Alfred B Yates FRIBA, had been erected at Magdelen College, Oxford. Unveiled by the Prince of Wales on 8 February 1921, it commemorated some 200 members of the college who had died in the First World War. This cross was moved to Wheatley and re-dedicated in October 1974, commemorating the servicemen from the village who had died in both the First and also the Second World War.
Details
The tall limestone memorial comprises a Greek cross with ornamented arms and a moulded foot, rising from a tapering octagonal shaft. That stands on a square plinth, which is set on a two-stage octagonal base. The base is raised on a shallow square step.
End of official list entry
