Summary
Hopton Wood stone war memorial cross, with additional stone mural, in the grounds of Whitgift School.
Reasons for Designation
Whitgift School War Memorial 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 School, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: as a dignified cross of Hopton Wood stone, and a well-executed stone mural.
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 at Whitgift School; it was unveiled on 11th March 1922 in a ceremony attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury Randall Davidson and Sir John Raynsford Longley, KCMG CB. It was designed and constructed by the Croydon-based funeral directors Ebbutt & Sons, with the assistance of local ex-servicemen. The memorial was moved in 1931, along with the school, from North End, Croydon to its current site in Haling Park. The adjacent mural for the Fallen of the Second World War, also by Ebutt's, was unveiled on 29th May 1949 in a ceremony attended by the Bishop Suffragan of Croydon Cuthbert Bardsley and Major-General W S Tope, CB, CBE.
Details
FIRST WORLD WAR CROSS
A cross fleury atop a pillar, splaying at the bottom to rest on an octagonal plinth, all of Hopton Wood stone. The front face bears the inscription: IN / REMEMBRANCE / OF OUR DEAD / 1914 - 1919 / VINCIT QVI PATITVR; four of the other faces bear carvings of the shields of Whitgift School, Croydon, Surrey and Canterbury diocese. The plinth rests on an octagonal stone base.
SECOND WORLD WAR MURAL
A large rectangular mural depicting two globes, one for each hemisphere, between which is a cross fleury. Above this an inscription reads: TO OUR GLORIOUS DEAD; with '1939' and '1945' either side of the globes. At the bottom, to either side and between the globes, it reads: BY / SEA / LAND / AIR / VINCIT QVI PATITVR.
Vincit qui patitur is the motto of the school and is Latin for 'Who perseveres, conquers.'
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, 2 March 2017.
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 07/03/2017
