Berkley War Memorial
50m west of St Mary's Church, Berkley, Somerset, BA11 5JH
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1442422
- Date first listed:
- 20-Jan-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Berkley War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- 50m west of St Mary's Church, Berkley, Somerset, BA11 5JH
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1442422
- Date first listed:
- 20-Jan-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Berkley War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- 50m west of St Mary's Church, Berkley, Somerset, BA11 5JH
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:
- 50m west of St Mary's Church, Berkley, Somerset, BA11 5JH
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Somerset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Berkley
- National Grid Reference:
- ST8105349423
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.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is prominently situated beside the W gate into the churchyard. It is carved from granite and comprises a Celtic cross on a slightly-tapering shaft which has the Sword of Sacrifice carved in relief to its front (W) face. It is set into a rough-hewn, square plinth that stands on a stone base. The W face of the plinth bears the inscription in raised lettering TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN HONOURED MEMORY / OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH / WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1918 / (NAMES) / ERECTED BY THE PARISHIONERS OF BERKLEY. The inscription on the S face reads 1939-1945 / (NAMES).
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, 21 February 2017.
Sources
Websites
17484: War memorial, St Mary's Churchyard, Berkley, The Somerset Historic Environment Record, accessed 8 December 2016 from http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/#
War Memorials Register, accessed 8 December 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1344
War Memorials Online, accessed 21 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/166295
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.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 10-Jun-2026 at 20:00:48.
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.