Chipstable Memorial Lych Gate

Summary

First World War memorial lych gate, erected c1919 or 1920.

Reasons for Designation

The war memorial lychgate at the Church of All Saints in Chipstable 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 First World War;
* Architectural interest: as an accomplished and well-realised memorial which takes the form of a churchyard lych gate;
* Group value: with the Church of All Saints (Grade II*) and a group of three chest tombs (Grade II) in 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 at the S entrance to the churchyard of the Church of All Saints in Chipstable as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the local community in the First World War, and was dedicated in 1919 or 1920. Its wooden gates are said to have been made by Mr Pring, a local builder (War Memorials Trust, see Sources). A brass memorial plaque inside the church names the seven men who lost their lives during the conflict.

Details

First World War memorial lych gate, erected c1919 or 1920.

DESCRIPTION: it is an oak-framed structure standing on flank walls and a plinth of coursed, cut and squared local stone. The upswept gabled roof is clad with plain tiles. The N and S gabled ends are essentially the same, with unglazed lancets to either side of the gateway, decorative piercings to the bargeboards and a wooden finial. The S side has oak gates which are half-height and have fine metal straps. The upright posts support the tie beams, which are braced, and there are angled struts above which carry the collar. Fixed to the S tie beam is a slender commemorative plaque, possibly of bronze, which is inscribed in raised lettering IN MEMORIUM 1914–1918. The timbers on the W and E sides each form an arcade with pointed-arched heads.


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
18181: War memorial lych gate, Churchyard of All Saints, Chipstable, accessed 14 December 2016 from http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/#
War Memorials Trust, accessed 15 December 2016 from http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=590
War Memorials Register, accessed 15 December 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/24919
War Memorials Online, accessed 21 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/99221

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.

Print the official list entry