Carr-Ellison Park First World War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1920.

Reasons for Designation

Carr-Ellison Park First World War Memorial, which stands in Carr-Ellison Park, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the First World War;
* Architectural interest: an understated yet elegant memorial in the Classical style;
* Group value: with Hebburn Hall and the Church of St John, both Grade II-listed.

History

Colonel Carr-Ellison’s grandfather and father had suggested that the densely populated industrial town of Hebburn on the south bank of the River Tyne would benefit from a public open space: Carr-Ellison’s gift of a public park was intended both to fulfil their wishes and to mark the safe return of his son from the First World War. The Ellison family had acquired the Manor of Hebburn in 1648. From 1897 local residents had permission to use the pleasure gardens and it was the 25 acres surrounding Hebburn Hall that Carr-Ellison donated to the town in 1920.

The grounds already formed the setting for a Boer War memorial of 1903 (unlisted). To mark the gift of the park, a memorial plaque was erected at the entrance. The ceremony at which Carr-Ellison handed over the title deeds to the Town Council was held on 7 October 1920. In 1922 a tall Celtic cross commemorating some 300 local men who had died in the First World War was unveiled in the western part of the park: this cross is no longer extant.

Details

The memorial stands inside the Canning Street entrance to Carr-Ellison Park, at the first junction of drives leading around the park. It is circa 80m to the north-east of Hebburn Hall and the Church of St John (both Grade II-listed). The memorial comprises a stone plinth, rectangular on plan, raised on a three-stage base. Granite pillars on sandstone bases and with foliated capitals flank the plinth. The whole is topped with a cornice that once supported a statue.

Granite plaques to the front and rear of the plinth record the gift of the park as a war memorial. The principal dedicatory inscription to the front reads THE GREAT WAR/ THIS PARK WAS PRESENTED TO THE/ INHABITANTS OF HEBBURN BY/ COLONEL RALPH HENRY CARR-ELLISON C.M.G./ IN MEMORY OF THOSE HEBBURN MEN WHO/ LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE/ OF THEIR COUNTRY, AND AS A TOKEN OF/ GRATITUDE FOR THE SAFE RETURN OF HIS ONLY SON/ JOHN CAMPBELL CARR-ELLISON, LIEUT./ 1ST ROYAL DRAGOONS.

The inscription on the plaque to the rear reads THIS STONE WAS ERECTED BY THE/ HEBBURN URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL/ ON BEHALF OF THE INHABITANTS/ AS A TOKEN OF THEIR DEEP APPRECIATION/ OF/ COLONEL CARR-ELLISON’S/ MUNIFICENT GIFT./ JOHN BLACK/ CHAIRMAN/ JULY 1920.

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, 30 January 2018.

Sources

Websites
North East War Memorials Project, Carr Ellison Park 1914 - 18, accessed 03/02/2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=7739
Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, accessed 03/08/2016 from http://www.pmsa.org.uk/pmsa-database/10062/
North East War Memorials Project, Cross 1914 - 18 Park, accessed 05/09/2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=7732
War Memorials Register, accessed 7 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/17806
War Memorials Online, accessed 30 January 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/194575

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