Hunwick War Memorial, enclosure and railings

Summary

First World War memorial, 1922, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Hunwick War Memorial, enclosure and railings, standing at the entrance to the cemetery on Church Lane, are 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;
* Architectural interest: an elegant memorial drawing on the Classical style.

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. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Hunwick 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 war memorial was unveiled on 17 December 1922 by W Hustler-Hustler and dedicated by the Vicar, Reverend TH Hurteil, at an ecumenical service. It commemorates 63 local servicemen who died during the First World War. Following the Second World War the names of 24 men who died in that conflict were added. The memorial was provided by Allison and Sons of Bishop Auckland: this company was responsible for a number of war memorials, including the Grade II-listed memorials at Escomb and Coundon.

Details

Hunwick War Memorial stands just inside the cemetery entrance on Church Lane. In grey granite and c3.5m tall, it takes the form of a small wheel-head cross rising from a tapering column, square on plan. The column stands on a pedestal, that stands on a three-stepped base. The monument is enclosed by a kerb forming a square enclosure: the kerb carries a low wrought iron railing.

The principal dedicatory inscription on the front face of the pedestal reads: IN HONOUR/ AND TO THE MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF/ THE PARISH OF HUNWICK/ AND HELMINGTON,/ WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE/ DURING THE GREAT WAR. Below this on the riser of the top step the dates 1914 – 1919 are carved in low relief. The quotation “THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.” is inscribed on the riser of the middle step. The First World War names are recorded on the remaining three sides of the pedestal.

The foot of the column is distinguished from the pedestal by an astragal. Below this moulding the front face of the column is decorated with a wreath carved in low relief that encircles the dates 1939/ 1945. The commemorated Second World War names are listed on the remaining faces.

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, 7 February 2017.

Sources

Websites
North East War Memorials Project, accessed 12/08/2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=7516
War Memorials Register, accessed 7 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/71374
War Memorials Online, accessed 7 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/240130

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.

Print the official list entry