Summary
First World War memorial, erected c1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
The war memorial at the entrance to the churchyard of the Church of St Mary in Berkley 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;
* Design: as a small, but well-executed memorial which takes the form of a Celtic cross and includes a carving of the Sword of Sacrifice;
* Group value: with the Church of St Mary (Grade II*) and a number of listed chest tombs (Grade II) 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 memorial was erected just outside the churchyard of the Church of St Mary in Berkley, presumably in about 1920, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by nine members of the local community who fell in the First World War. The names of the three men who lost their lives during the Second World War were added later.
Details
First World War memorial, erected c1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Sources
Websites http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/# https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/166295 http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1344
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.
End of official list entry
