Hollinwood War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, designed by R Basnett Preston and unveiled on 3 June 1922, with further names added after the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Hollinwood War Memorial, designed by R Basnett Preston and unveiled 3 June 1922, 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: an elegant Latin cross set against a backdrop of panels with Gothic-style tracery which carry the names of the fallen;
* Group value: with the Church of St Margaret (Grade II).

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 Hollinwood 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 was designed by R Basnett Preston, who was also responsible for the Church of St George, Bury (Grade II listed); the architect involved was R Martin of Manchester who was the Diocesan Architect and Surveyor. The memorial was dedicated on 3 June 1922. It commemorates 141 local servicemen who fell in the First World War with a further 107 names being added following the Second World War.

In 2011 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust and Hollinwood and District Partnership.

Details

MATERIALS: granite cross, sandstone panels.

DESCRIPTION: Hollinwood War Memorial consists of a Latin cross rising from a tall plinth which is square on plan. At the centre of the cross is IHS carved in relief. The plinth is inscribed with a general dedication to the First and Second World Wars which reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN/ THE GREAT WAR. 1914 – 1919./ AND IN THE WAR. 1939 – 1945.

The cross is built into the upper step of a two-stepped paved base.

Behind the cross, and set into the church wall under the west window, are two tiers of panels incised with the names from both World Wars. The top tier panels are recessed within Gothic-style tracery with foliate detailing and these carry the names of the fallen from the First World War. The plain lower tier carries the names of those from the Second World War. 

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, 30 January 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Trust, accessed 21 July 2016 from www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=834
War Memorials Online, accessed 21 July 2016 from www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/97662
War Memorials Register, accessed 21 July 2016 from www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/26523
War Memorials Online, accessed 30 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/97662

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.