Gislingham War Memorial

Churchyard of the Church of St Mary, Gislingham, Suffolk, IP23 8HP

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Overview

First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Heritage Category:
Listed building
List Entry Number:
1435181
Date first listed:
01-Jun-2016
Statutory Address:
Churchyard of the Church of St Mary, Gislingham, Suffolk, IP23 8HP
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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed building
List Entry Number:
1435181
Date first listed:
01-Jun-2016
Statutory Address 1:
Churchyard of the Church of St Mary, Gislingham, Suffolk, IP23 8HP

Location

Statutory Address:
Churchyard of the Church of St Mary, Gislingham, Suffolk, IP23 8HP

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:
Suffolk
District:
Mid Suffolk (District Authority)
Parish:
Gislingham
National Grid Reference:
TM0760671805

Summary

First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Gislingham War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary, 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 conflicts of the C20;
* Group value: with the Church of St Mary (Grade I-listed).

History

Gislingham War Memorial was erected by Messrs Corley and Sons and unveiled on 2 May 1920 by Brigadier General Lord Playfair CVO. It commemorates the 17 local men who fell during the First World War with one name for the Second World War being added at a later date. In 2014 the war memorial was cleaned with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.

Details

MATERIALS: Limestone.

DESCRIPTION: Gislingham War Memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary (Grade I-listed), to the north-west of the church tower. The memorial is composed of a three-stepped base, tall plinth, and a wheel-head cross. Crossed flags are carved in low relief to the front face of centre of the wheel-head. The inscriptions are incised and painted black.

The First World War dedication is located on the front face of the plinth and reads IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE MEN/ OF THIS PARISH WHO LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 TO 1918 / (17 NAMES). On the top step below this is an inscription which reads GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS THAT/ A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.

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, 13 January 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 18/04/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/4760
War Memorials Online, accessed 13 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/155989

Legal

Ordnance survey map of Gislingham War Memorial

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 04-Jun-2026 at 15:19:07.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

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.

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