Summary
First World War memorial with Second World War additions.
Reasons for Designation
Stockport Cricket Club War Memorial, erected between 1922 and 1934, commemorating the First World War with Second World War additions, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
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, as a result both of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities, and of 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.
The Stockport Cricket Club memorial was erected after the First World War to commemorate the 16 members of the Cricket Club who had lost their lives. It was situated in the north-east corner of the cricket ground on grass banking which surrounds the cricket pitch and remains in this original position. It is not shown on the 1:2,500 first edition Lancashire Ordnance Survey (OS) map of 1922, and first appears on the fourth edition 1:2,500 Lancashire OS map of 1934. It is not known who designed the memorial. It has inscriptions by Rudyard Kipling and the Revd TE Royde. The base of the plinth was adapted following the Second World War, to include the names of the two club members who died, along with the dates and a short inscription. The club chairman and the captain of the home team lay a wreath before the first game of each season, accompanied by a minute’s silence. The clubhouse on the same grounds serves both Stockport Cricket Club and Stockport Lacrosse Club, and is a locally listed asset.
Details
First World War memorial with Second World War additions.
End of official list entry
