War Memorial at Croydon Minster
Croydon Minster, Church Street, Croydon, CR0 1RN
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1442680
- Date first listed:
- 27-Feb-2017
- List Entry Name:
- War Memorial at Croydon Minster
- Statutory Address:
- Croydon Minster, Church Street, Croydon, CR0 1RN
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1442680
- Date first listed:
- 27-Feb-2017
- List Entry Name:
- War Memorial at Croydon Minster
- Statutory Address 1:
- Croydon Minster, Church Street, Croydon, CR0 1RN
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:
- Croydon Minster, Church Street, Croydon, CR0 1RN
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- Croydon (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ3191565414
Summary
War memorial in the form of a Portland stone cross on a pedestal, unveiled in 1922.
Reasons for Designation
The War Memorial at Croydon Minster, formerly known as the Church of St John the Baptist Church, 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 sacrifices they made in the First World War;
* Design: as an imposing Portland stone cross war memorial;
* Group value: with the Grade I listed Croydon Minster.
History
The aftermath of the World Wars saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country. One such memorial was raised in Croydon outside the Church of St John the Baptist, now Croydon Minister, as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the local community. It was designed by Charles Marriott Oldrid Scott and unveiled on the 11 February 1922 in a ceremony attended by Leonard White-Thomson, Archdeacon of Canterbury. It was originally made of Chilmark stone, however this proved fragile and the memorial fell over and smashed in a storm circa 1930; it was then rebuilt in Portland stone. The memorial was moved to its present site in 1957 following road widening works on Church Road. A 1990 inspection judged the inscription to be in poor condition and covered with graffiti; at some point between then and 2016 the memorial was cleaned and refurbished.
Details
Tall ornamented cross of Portland stone, tapering at the bottom where it rests on a large stone plinth, on the front of which is the inscription: TO THE / GLORY OF GOD / AND IN GRATEFUL / MEMORY OF THOSE / FROM THIS PARISH / WHO GAVE THEIR / LIVES DURING THE / GREAT WAR / 1914 - 1918 / THEY DIED THAT / WE MIGHT LIVE. This rests on a two-step octagonal base set on a slightly raised dais section, replete with the two small steps leading up to the front of the memorial.
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, 3 March 2017.
Sources
Books and journals
Cox, Ronald, At the Going Down of the Sun... An Account of Croydon's War Memorials, (1992), 28
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 15th December 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/841
London Parks and Gardens Trust: St John's Church Memorial Garden, accessed 15th December 2016 from http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.asp?ID=CRO068
War Memorials Online, accessed 3 March 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/121660
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 22:17:28.
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.