War Memorial at Thornhill Road Gardens
Thornhill Road Gardens, Corner of Thornhill Road & Richmond Avenue, Islington, Greater London, N1 0LX
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1431840
- Date first listed:
- 20-Jan-2016
- List Entry Name:
- War Memorial at Thornhill Road Gardens
- Statutory Address:
- Thornhill Road Gardens, Corner of Thornhill Road & Richmond Avenue, Islington, Greater London, N1 0LX
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:
- 1431840
- Date first listed:
- 20-Jan-2016
- List Entry Name:
- War Memorial at Thornhill Road Gardens
- Statutory Address 1:
- Thornhill Road Gardens, Corner of Thornhill Road & Richmond Avenue, Islington, Greater London, N1 0LX
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:
- Thornhill Road Gardens, Corner of Thornhill Road & Richmond Avenue, Islington, Greater London, N1 0LX
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- Islington (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ3115683909
Summary
First World War memorial. Erected 1920.
Reasons for Designation
The First World War Memorial at Thornhill Road Gardens, Islington, 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;
* Group value: with the adjacent Grade II listed houses and terraces on Richmond Avenue and Malvern Terrace.
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw a huge wave of public commemoration with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country. One such memorial was erected in 1920 to commemorate residents of Islington who died during the conflict. It was unveiled on the 18th July 1920 in a dedication service led by Bishop Suffragan of Stepney. The inscription on the memorial is derived from the words contained in a condolence letter sent by King George V to every bereaved family.
Details
First World War memorial. Erected 1920.
MATERIALS: carved from granite.
DESCRIPTION: the war memorial stands in Thornhill Road Gardens, adjacent to Richmond Avenue and Malvern Terrace, and is orientated NW-SE. The memorial comprises a granite cross with Celtic head set upon a tapering shaft 1.2m high. Four trefoils form the space between the cross and surrounding circle or aureole. The shaft rises in four set-back tiers. It surmounts a tapering square plinth 1.1m high, which rests upon a two-tiered square base 0.5m high. Two panels are set into the plinth. The SE face bears the inscription: THEY WHOM THIS MEMORIAL/ COMMEMORATES AND WHOSE/ NAMES ARE RECORDED ON THE/ WAR SHRINE NOW RESTING IN/ HOLY TRINITY CHURCH WERE/ NUMBERED AMONG THOSE WHO/ AT THE CALL OF KING & COUNTRY/ LEFT ALL THAT WAS DEAR TO THEM/ ENDURED HARDNESS, FACED DANGER/ AND FINALLY PASSED OUT OF SIGHT/ OF MEN BY THE PATH OF DUTY AND/ SELF-SACRIFICE GIVING UP/ THEIR OWN LIVES THAT OTHERS/ MIGHT LIVE IN FREEDOM/ LET THOSE THAT COME AFTER SEE TO IT/ THAT THEIR NAMES ARE NOT FORGOTTEN. The NW face is inscribed: LEST/ WE/ FORGET.
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, 16 February 2017.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 14 November 2015 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/39378
War Memorials Online, accessed 16 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/188481
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 24-Jun-2026 at 07:42:59.
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.