New Brancepeth War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 1923, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

New Brancepeth War Memorial, which stands outside the village hall, 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 local community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a tall and imposing war memorial incorporating elements from 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 New Brancepeth as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

New Brancepeth was the pit village for New Brancepeth Colliery, which opened in 1858 and closed in 1953. The war memorial was unveiled on 6 July 1923 by Colonel JR Ritson OBE and dedicated by Reverend GSB Mack. It commemorates 91 local servicemen who died during the First World War. The memorial cost £1,060, of which nearly half was contributed by stoppages on the miners’ wages. Following the Second World War a further 18 names of men who died in that conflict were added.

Details

The c6.5m tall memorial stands in front of New Brancepeth Village Hall (formerly the Miners’ Institute, not listed). In polished red granite, it comprises a two stage base, square on plan, from which rises a central pier with a column to each corner. The columns support the pedimented and pinnacled top of the pier. A domed drum on top of the pediment supports a draped urn.

Commemorated names are listed on the faces of the central pier, at the foot of which is inscribed: ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914-1918/ BELONGING TO NEW BRANCEPETH. The incised letters are gilded. The Second World War inscription, in black lettering, reads: ALSO IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL IN THE/ WORLD WAR 1939-1945, with the commemorated names listed below on the upper stage of the base.

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, 23 November 2017.

Sources

Websites
North East War Memorials Project, accessed 15/09/2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=8173
War Memorials Register, accessed 7 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/42019
War Memorials Online, accessed 23 November 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/253781

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