Summary
First World War Memorial with later addiitons for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Woolmer Green War Memorial, unveiled in September 1920, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic Interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design interest: it is a simple and elegant design by the reputable architectural sculptor, Laurence A. Turner.
* Group value: with the church of St Michael’s and All Angels, which is listed at Grade II.
History
At the end of the First World War, Woolmer Green was still a part of Welwyn Parish, but the community decided that rather than joining with the whole parish in a common memorial to those who had died in the war, they would erect one of their own. A list of subscribers records that £119 was raised, and the cross was unveiled by Colonel Sir Charles Longmore KBC at a dedication ceremony held on 26 September 1920. The site eventually chosen for the memorial was the churchyard of St Michael’s and All Angels (Grade II), to the north of the church, originally identified as a suitable place for a village cross for its visibility to travellers. The architectural sculptor and carver commissioned to carry out the work, Laurence A Turner, was a designer and craftsman who also worked on designs by other artists and architects, including R Weir Schultz, the architect of the church of St Michael’s and All Angels, built between 1899 and 1900.
Details
The war memorial in the churchyard of St Michael’s and All Angels, Woolmer Green, was designed by Laurence A Turner (1882 – 1943): architectural sculptor, carver, modeller and architect.
Sources
Websites http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib2_1208266553 https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/145535 http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/3771
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
The listed building is shown coloured blue on the attached map. Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’), structures attached to or within the curtilage of the listed building (save those coloured blue on the map: a column on a square plinth standing on a three stepped base) are not to be treated as part of the listed building for the purposes of the Act.
End of official list entry
