War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St George
NW of the Church of St George, Within the churchyard, Church Street, Beckington, BA11 6TG
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1444726
- Date first listed:
- 08-Jun-2017
- List Entry Name:
- War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St George
- Statutory Address:
- NW of the Church of St George, Within the churchyard, Church Street, Beckington, BA11 6TG
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1444726
- Date first listed:
- 08-Jun-2017
- List Entry Name:
- War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St George
- Statutory Address 1:
- NW of the Church of St George, Within the churchyard, Church Street, Beckington, BA11 6TG
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:
- NW of the Church of St George, Within the churchyard, Church Street, Beckington, BA11 6TG
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Somerset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Beckington
- National Grid Reference:
- ST8015051650
Summary
First World War memorial.
Reasons for Designation
The war memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St George in Beckington is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: constructed principally as a memorial to two individual soldiers, its dedication also remembers all of the village's men who died during the First World War; it is 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: it is an elegant granite cross given an added level of decoration through the sculptural detailing at the top;
* Group value: with the Church of St George (Grade I) and two tombs within the churchyard (Grade II).
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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Beckington as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The cross within the churchyard of the Church of St George is principally dedicated to two servicemen, Alan Hamilton Ross and Gerard Kingsley Webber. The dedication also includes a commemoration to all the men in the village of Beckington who died during the First World War. The other Fallen parishioners are not named on the memorial; however, a plaque attached to the church lists the names of those who died during the 1914-1919 conflict.
Details
First World War memorial.
MATERIALS: carved from granite.
DESCRIPTION: a three-tiered plinth on a square base. The plinth is topped by a square shaft and a cross. On the north side of the cross is a stone figurine of Jesus Christ at the Crucifixion; the scene is topped by an INRI title. The plinth below bears a dedication in raised lettering that reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF/ ALAN HAMILTON ROSS// WHO FELL IN FRANCE JULY 15TH 1916/ AND HIS FRIEND GERARD KINGSLEY WEBBER/ 10TH ROYAL FUSILIERS/ AND ALL THE MEN OF THIS VILLAGE/ WHO FELL DURING THE GREAT WAR// IN PACE.
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, 24 November 2017.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 7 December 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/24389
War Memorials Online, accessed 24 November 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/253537
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 is shown coloured blue on the attached map. Pursuant to s1 (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 24-Jun-2026 at 04:18:47.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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