Courteenhall war memorial and bench

The Lodge, Courteenhall, Northampton, Northampton, NN7 2QD

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Overview

War memorial and bench, unveiled in 1920, dedicated to the fallen of the First World War.
Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1441338
Date first listed:
06-Feb-2017
List Entry Name:
Courteenhall war memorial and bench
Statutory Address:
The Lodge, Courteenhall, Northampton, Northampton, NN7 2QD

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Location

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1441338
Date first listed:
06-Feb-2017
List Entry Name:
Courteenhall war memorial and bench
Location Description:
Opposite the main entrance gates of the Courteenhall Estate, just after the Blisworth turning on A508.
Statutory Address 1:
The Lodge, Courteenhall, Northampton, Northampton, NN7 2QD

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
The Lodge, Courteenhall, Northampton, Northampton, NN7 2QD

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
West Northamptonshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Courteenhall
National Grid Reference:
SP7530553052

Summary

War memorial and bench, unveiled in 1920, dedicated to the fallen of the First World War.

Reasons for Designation

Courteenhall war memorial and bench are 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 sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Group value: for its strong relationship with nearby designated heritage assets, including Courteenhall House (listed at Grade II*), and its associated parkland and gardens (registered at 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 the country. 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 Courteenhall as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Courteenhall war memorial was erected opposite the gates of the Courteenhall estate in 1920 in memory of 13 residents of the estate who fell during the First World War (1914-18). The memorial was unveiled by Admiral Sir Drury St Aubyn Wake, and the inscription includes the names of the admiral’s younger brother Major Hugh St Aubyn Wake, and the admiral’s only son Charles Baldwin Drury Wake, who were both killed in action in 1914 and 1918 respectively. Courteenhall House has been the residence of the Wake family since the mid-C17.

Details

War memorial and bench, unveiled in 1920, dedicated to the fallen of the First World War.

The stone war memorial takes the form of a rectangular-plan Celtic cross standing on a three-stepped hexagonal-plan base. The front (east) elevation of the shaft of the cross is inscribed: ‘TO THE MEN OF / COURTEENHALL / WHO DIED FOR / ENGLAND / 1914 - 1918’, followed by the names of 13 residents who fell during the First World War. A plain curved stone bench stands between the memorial and the Northampton Road (A508), and is most likely contemporary with the memorial.

The memorial and bench stand directly opposite the main entrance from the Northampton Road to the Courteenhall estate, which includes Courteenhall House (listed at grade II*), and its historic parkland and gardens (registered at grade II).

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 20 February 2017.

Sources

Websites
Roll of Honour, Courteenhall War Memorial, accessed 10 November 2016 from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Northamptonshire/Courteenhall.html
War Memorials Register, accessed 10 November 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/42072
War Memorials Online, accessed 20 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/82534

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

The listed building(s) is/are shown coloured blue on the attached map. Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’), structures attached to or within the curtilage of the listed building (save those coloured blue on the map) are not to be treated as part of the listed building for the purposes of the Act.

Ordnance survey map of Courteenhall war memorial and bench

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 00:39:13.

Download a full scale map (PDF)
© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

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.

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