Costessey War Memorial
St Edmund's Churchyard, The Street, Costessey, Norfolk, NR8 5DG
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1442415
- Date first listed:
- 23-Feb-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Costessey War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- St Edmund's Churchyard, The Street, Costessey, Norfolk, NR8 5DG
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1442415
- Date first listed:
- 23-Feb-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Costessey War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- St Edmund's Churchyard, The Street, Costessey, Norfolk, NR8 5DG
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:
- St Edmund's Churchyard, The Street, Costessey, Norfolk, NR8 5DG
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Norfolk
- District:
- South Norfolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Costessey
- National Grid Reference:
- TG1772412441
Summary
First World War memorial, c.1920, with Second World War additions.
Reasons for Designation
Costessey War Memorial, which is situated in St Edmund’s Churchyard, is 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 sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an elegant and well-executed floriated stone cross;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed Church of St Edmund and a Grade II-listed tombstone within the churchyard.
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 war memorial was raised at Costessey as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Costessey memorial, like many Norfolk war memorials, was situated within the churchyard. The memorial was presumably erected c.1920. It commemorates 18 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and 20 men who fell in the Second World War.
Details
Costessey War Memorial is located in the churchyard of St Edmund’s Church, The Street, Costessey. It is situated by the south wall of the church near to the south porch. The memorial comprises a stone floriated Latin cross upon an octagonal shaft. The cross head has carved fleuron and ballflower ornamentation at the top and at the two ends of the crossbar. The shaft has two bands of foliate incised carving around the top, with incised mock-trefoil arch motifs between. The trefoil motifs are repeated around the bottom of the shaft. This meets with a moulded two-tiered octagonal plinth bearing inscriptions, which stands upon a three-stepped octagonal base.
The inscription is incised and reads: TO/ THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN/ UNDYING MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF THIS/ PARISH WHO FELL/ IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (NAMES)/ LIVE/ WORTHY OF/ THEIR EXAMPLE// AND THESE/ MADE THE/ SUPREME/ SACRIFICE/ 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES).
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 16/03/2017
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 29 Nov 2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/213931/
War Memorials Register, accessed 29 Nov 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/19975
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 19-Jun-2026 at 15:43:15.
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.