War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of Our Lady of Mercy and St Godric
Church of Our Lady of Mercy and St Godric, Castle Chare, Durham, DH1 4RD
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1433777
- Date first listed:
- 16-May-2016
- List Entry Name:
- War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of Our Lady of Mercy and St Godric
- Statutory Address:
- Church of Our Lady of Mercy and St Godric, Castle Chare, Durham, DH1 4RD
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1433777
- Date first listed:
- 16-May-2016
- List Entry Name:
- War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of Our Lady of Mercy and St Godric
- Statutory Address 1:
- Church of Our Lady of Mercy and St Godric, Castle Chare, Durham, DH1 4RD
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:
- Church of Our Lady of Mercy and St Godric, Castle Chare, Durham, DH1 4RD
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- County Durham (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- City of Durham
- National Grid Reference:
- NZ2706242646
Summary
First World War memorial, 1923.
Reasons for Designation
The war memorial standing in the churchyard of the Church of St Godric, Durham, 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 local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the First World War;
* Degree of survival: the war memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration, and retains its original design;
* Group value: with the Church of St Godric (Grade II-listed).
History
As early as November 1915 the incumbent of St Godric’s Church, Reverend Canon Thornton, had suggested that the parishioners should plan to erect a war memorial. He called a parish meeting two years later, recommending that each family in the parish aim to donate £1 over the course of 1918. The war memorial was unveiled on 13 May 1923 by Lt-Col J R Ritson, 8th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry. It was dedicated by Reverend Canon Thornton in commemoration of 40 local servicemen who had died during the First World War.
Details
The memorial stands in the grounds of the Church of St Godric (Grade II-listed), on the north side overlooking Castle Chare and with views out over the city of Durham. It comprises a tall, gabled, Calvary cross in Portland stone. The cross shaft rises from a six-sided pedestal, trapezoidal on plan. The front face of the pedestal is a panel of blind arcading on which the principal dedicatory inscription is carved: THIS/ MONUMENT WAS/ ERECTED BY THE/ MEMBERS OF/ ST. GODRIC'S PARISH/ TO THE/ MEMORY OF THOSE/ BRAVE MEN FROM/ THIS PARISH/ WHO LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES IN/ DEFENCE OF THEIR/ COUNTRY IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918. / R.I.P.
To either side, in similar panels, a figure of a soldier and sailor with arms reversed are carved in relief. The commemorated names are listed on the two outer-most faces. On the rear a small cross of St Cuthbert is carved in low relief in a roundel. The pedestal stands on a three-stepped base.
This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 7 February 2017.
Sources
Websites
North East War Memorials Project, accessed 12/04/2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=7039
War Memorials Register, accessed 7 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/18955
War Memorials Online, accessed 7 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/215127
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 27-Jul-2026 at 22:40:15.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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