Ashdon War Memorial
Village Green, Church Hill, Ashdon, Essex, CB10 2HT
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1441011
- Date first listed:
- 06-Feb-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Ashdon War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Village Green, Church Hill, Ashdon, Essex, CB10 2HT
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1441011
- Date first listed:
- 06-Feb-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Ashdon War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Village Green, Church Hill, Ashdon, Essex, CB10 2HT
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Village Green, Church Hill, Ashdon, Essex, CB10 2HT
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Essex
- District:
- Uttlesford (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Ashdon
- National Grid Reference:
- TL5874942206
Summary
First World War memorial unveiled on 23 October 1921.
Reasons for Designation
Ashdon War Memorial 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;
* Architectural interest: a simple yet striking memorial flag base in Portland stone.
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 Ashdon as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Ashdon War Memorial was dedicated on 23 October 1921 by Maj Gen Sir S W Hare KCMG CB, Commander of the East Anglian Territorial Division. The memorial commemorates 21 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and the names of four local servicemen were added following the Second World War.
A Portland stone plaque has been added underneath to commemorate Elizabeth Everitt, a local farmer’s wife who died trying to rescue American airmen from a burning American bomber which crashed near the village in 1944.
In 2008 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.
Details
MATERIALS: Portland stone memorial, bronze plaques and concrete steps.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial in the village of Ashdon stands within a garden on the village green. It consists of a Portland stone flag base. It is set on a wide base of three shallow concrete steps. The memorial carries two bronze plaques, one on the front and one on the side, as well as an engraved quotation on the rear face.
The dedication on the bronze plaque on the front of the memorial reads TO THE MEN OF ASHDON WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ (NAMES). The engraved quotation on the rear of the memorial, comes from John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress AND ALL THE TRUMPETS SOUNDED/ FOR THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE. The plaque on the side of the memorial to commemorate the fallen of the Second World War is inscribed TO THOSE WHO DIED/ IN THE/ SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES).
A Portland stone plaque has been added underneath to commemorate Elizabeth Everitt.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 21 Oct 2016 from www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/22974
War Memorials Online, accessed 21 Oct 2016 from www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/101141
War Memorials Trust, accessed 21 Oct 2016 from www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=544
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 06-Jun-2026 at 21:50:01.
Download a full scale map (PDF)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.