St Paul’s Foleshill War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial by the Bromsgrove Guild, unveiled on 11 September 1920.

Reasons for Designation

St Paul’s Foleshill War Memorial by the Bromsgrove Guild, unveiled on 11 September 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 the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the First World War;
* Architectural interest: an ornate and striking Latin cross enriched with carved decorative details;
* Designer: the Bromsgrove Guild, well known for their high quality work including the gates of Buckingham Palace;
* Group value: with the Church of St Paul (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 Foleshill 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 commissioned from the Bromsgrove Guild and cost a total of £514 15s, paid for by public subscription. The Bromsgrove Guild was a late Victorian offshoot of the Arts and Crafts movement, founded in the 1890s by Walter Gilbert. They worked in a wide range of materials, such as wood, metal, glass, embroidery and plaster, for public and private commissions throughout Britain, their most prestigious work being the gates of Buckingham Palace.

The memorial at Foleshill was dedicated on 11 September 1920 by the Bishop of Coventry. It was originally accompanied by an oak reredos in the Lady Chapel of the church, but that was destroyed when the church was bombed during the Second World War.

Details

MATERIALS: limestone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a Latin cross with embellishments set on a plain octagonal shaft, itself set on a square plinth with chamfered corners. The whole stands on a base comprising three square stone steps. The memorial is approximately 3m in height.

The west face of the plinth has a shallow square recess which formerly held a metal plaque bearing the dedicatory inscription, which is now missing. This read TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, THIS CROSS WAS PLACED BY THEIR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS TO THE SPLENDID MEMORY OF WELL-NIGH 200 MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO DEVOTED THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR, 1914 – 1918. THEIR NAMES ARE PERPETUATED IN THE MEMORIAL LADY CHAPEL OF THE CHURCH HARD BY. LIVE THOU FOR ENGLAND, WE FOR ENGLAND DIED.


This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 25 July 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 21 July 2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/195692
War Memorials Register, accessed 25 July 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/72754

Other
Foleshill St Paul’s Parish. Memorials Dedicated, Coventry and Warwickshire Graphic, 17 September 1920

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