Tilehurst War Memorial
The Triangle, School Road, Tilehurst, Reading, RG31 5AW
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1441573
- Date first listed:
- 10-Feb-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Tilehurst War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- The Triangle, School Road, Tilehurst, Reading, RG31 5AW
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1441573
- Date first listed:
- 10-Feb-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Tilehurst War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- The Triangle, School Road, Tilehurst, Reading, RG31 5AW
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:
- The Triangle, School Road, Tilehurst, Reading, RG31 5AW
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Reading (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SU6674573658
Summary
First World War memorial with later additions for subsequent conflicts.
Reasons for Designation
Tilehurst 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: an elegant and striking limestone wheel-head cross.
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, 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 Tilehurst in the 1920s as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Further names were added following the Second World War to commemorate the fallen of that conflict and a further plaque was added for those who died since the two world wars.
A photograph of c 1955 shows the memorial protected by eight small posts and also surrounded by low fencing, the latter since replaced.
Details
MATERIALS: limestone with bronze plaques.
DESCRIPTION: Tilehurst War Memorial is located at The Triangle, Tilehurst and it consists of a wheel-head cross. The cross rises from a tapering square shaft with crenelated cap. The shaft rises from a two-stepped square plinth on a three-stepped base.
The faces of the plinth have bronze plaques fixed to each face and there are subsequent plaques on the two upper steps. The top section of the plinth is a shallow step with bronze plaques fixed to each face which read: TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN/ HONOURED MEMORY OF THE MEN OF/ TILEHURST WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918. The faces of the plinth have bronze plaques with lists of the names of the fallen with a raised wreath detail at the base.
Two further plaques are located on the front faces of the steps. The first commemorates the fallen of the Second World War: THIS MEMORIAL ALSO COMMEMORATES THE MEN AND WOMEN/ OF TILEHURST/ WHO DIED IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945/ WHOSE NAMES ARE IN THE BOOK OF LIFE (PHILIPPIANS, 4.3.). The plaque on the second step reads: THIS MEMORIAL IS ALSO DEDICATED/ TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE/ FALLEN IN THE DEFENCE OF FREEDOM AND/ DEMOCRACY SINCE THE TWO WORLD WARS. Subsequent plaques are located on the other faces of the steps with lists of the fallen.
The base of the memorial is protected by eight low stone posts.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 9 Nov 2016 from www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/139694
War Memorials Register, accessed 9 Nov 2016 from www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/9102
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 26-Jun-2026 at 10:09:12.
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.