Sturminster Marshall War Memorial
Junction of High Street and Market Place, Sturminster Marshall, Wimborne, Dorset
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1431076
- Date first listed:
- 24-Nov-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Sturminster Marshall War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Junction of High Street and Market Place, Sturminster Marshall, Wimborne, Dorset
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1431076
- Date first listed:
- 24-Nov-2015
- List Entry Name:
- Sturminster Marshall War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Junction of High Street and Market Place, Sturminster Marshall, Wimborne, Dorset
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:
- Junction of High Street and Market Place, Sturminster Marshall, Wimborne, Dorset
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Dorset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Sturminster Marshall
- National Grid Reference:
- ST9498300160
Summary
War memorial, erected in 1920. Further plaques added after Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Sturminster Marshall War Memorial, which is situated in the centre of the village, 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;
* Design: a well-executed and well-carved memorial in the form of a Celtic cross.
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. One such memorial was erected at the junction of Market Place and High Street in Sturminster Marshall commemorates the twenty one men from the parish who lost their lives during the conflict. It was unveiled in January 1920, its design based on a medieval cross at Temple Moor near Bodmin. After the Second World War further inscriptions were added to commemorate the eight men who died during this war.
Details
War memorial, erected in 1920. Further plaques added after Second World War.
MATERIALS: carved from Cornish granite.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a Celtic cross with a tapered shaft mounted upon a square plinth which in turn rests on a square base with a chamfered top. The four arms of the cross have interlaced carvings in relief, while panels to the four sides of the shaft contain panels of more stylised carvings . The front (north) face of the plinth is inscribed: IN PROUD AND GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR/ ENGLAND’S HONOUR./ (NAMES and the year they died). The rear face carries the inscription: PRAISE BE TO GOD/ FOR THOSE MEN AND WOMEN OF/ STURMINSTER MARSHALL/ WHO FAITHFULLY SERVED THEIR KING AND COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919. Dedicatory inscriptions were added to the west and east sides of the plinth following the Second World War. The west face records: 1939 TO 1945/ (NAMES, rank and the year they died); the opposing side is inscribed: 1939-1945/ (NAMES, rank and the year they died).
This List entry has been 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, 7 December 2016.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 26/10/2015 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/26663
War Memorials Online, accessed 07/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/97523
Other
East Dorset District Council, 2006, Conservation Areas in East Dorset, Sturminster Marshall
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 20:04:35.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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