Alsager War Memorial

Junction of Sandbach Road South and Ashmore's Lane, Alsager, Cheshire, ST7 2LW

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

First World War memorial unveiled on 19 June 1920, with further names added after the Second World War. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1436522
Date first listed:: 20-Jul-2016
List Entry Name:: Alsager War Memorial
Statutory Address:: Junction of Sandbach Road South and Ashmore's Lane, Alsager, Cheshire, ST7 2LW

User submitted image — Uploaded by War Memorials Online This photo may not represent the current condition of the site
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.

There is a problem

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

Find out more about listing

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1436522
Date first listed:: 20-Jul-2016
List Entry Name:: Alsager War Memorial
Statutory Address 1:: Junction of Sandbach Road South and Ashmore's Lane, Alsager, Cheshire, ST7 2LW

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: Junction of Sandbach Road South and Ashmore's Lane, Alsager, Cheshire, ST7 2LW

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

District:: Cheshire East (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Alsager
National Grid Reference:: SJ7988855297

Summary

First World War memorial unveiled on 19 June 1920, with further names added after the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Alsager War Memorial, unveiled on 19 June 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; * Architectural interest: a striking and evocative stone-carved sculpture comprising the figure of a First World War serviceman.

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, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised at Alsager as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial sits in a small area of green in front of a garden.

The funds to erect the Alsager War Memorial were raised by public subscription. It cost over £1000 with the land on which it stands being donated by Dr Crutchley in memory of Henry Percy Harpur MD Capt RAMC. The memorial was unveiled by T F Owen, chairman of the war memorial committee, and dedicated on 19 June 1920 to commemorate the 41 fallen from the First World War. A further plaque was added to the rear of the memorial following the Second World War to commemorate the 11 local servicemen who fell in that conflict.

In 2013 a project was undertaken to repair the memorial, including the reinstatement of a stone bayonet which had previously been lost. This work was completed with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.

Details

MATERIALS: Sandstone sculpture, granite column.

DESCRIPTION: Alsager War Memorial comprises a sandstone carved figure of a First World War serviceman in full uniform carrying a rifle with bayonet. The statue rises from a granite column standing on a three-stepped base. The column carries a band of carved foliate design, below which, on three faces, are the incised and painted black lettering of the names of those who lost their lives in the First World War. The inscription on the north-west face reads: IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF / THE ALSAGER MEN / WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1919 / (NAMES) / THEY LOVED NOT THEIR LIVES / UNTO THE DEATH REV XII XI.

On the south-east face is the inscription: ALSO IN GRATEFUL MEMORY / OF THE ALSAGER MEN / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / FOR THEIR COUNTRY / IN THE WORLD WAR / 1939 – 1945 / (NAMES). Also on this face is a casted representation of the Town Arms.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 26 May 2016 from www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/130754
War Memorials Register, accessed 26 May 2016 from www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/42742
War Memorials Trust, accessed 26 May 2016 from www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=1020
Other
Sutton, J, ‘Alsager past, present and future: our war memorial’ Alsager in Focus No115, (2012)
Unveiling and dedication of Alsager public war memorial [order of service] (1920)

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.