Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled 1920.
Reasons for Designation
Widdrington War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the First World War;
* Architectural interest: a simple yet poignant wheel-head cross in the Celtic style;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed Church of the Holy Trinity, churchyard monuments listed at Grade II, and the scheduled Widdrington Castle and 18th century Gothic castle and gardens south of Widdrington Farm.
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. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
Details
The c5m tall memorial stands in the churchyard, to the north side of the Church of the Holy Trinity (Grade I-listed). It takes the form of a rough-hewn granite cross with a wheel-head in the Celtic style. The cross shaft rises from a tapering plinth. The plinth stands on a stone base made to look like a stony outcrop.
End of official list entry
