Wimbledon Common (King's Royal Rifle Corps) War Memorial
Wimbledon Common, London, SW19 4UR
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1445581
- Date first listed:
- 03-Jul-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Wimbledon Common (King's Royal Rifle Corps) War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Wimbledon Common, London, SW19 4UR
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1445581
- Date first listed:
- 03-Jul-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Wimbledon Common (King's Royal Rifle Corps) War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Wimbledon Common, London, SW19 4UR
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:
- Wimbledon Common, London, SW19 4UR
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- Merton (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ2267471759
Summary
War memorial, unveiled 1929, in the form of a small pillar with attached plaques.
Reasons for Designation
Wimbledon (King's Royal Rifle Corps) 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 King's Royal Rifles Corps, and the sacrifices they made in the First World War;
* Design: as a modest but dignified war memorial.
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.
One such memorial was raised on Wimbledon Common in honour of the King's Royal Rifle Corps; the Corps used the Common as a training ground prior to service on the Western Front. The memorial was unveiled in 1929.
In 2002 it was refurbished and cleaned with the aid of a grant from the War Memorials Trust.
Details
Short stone pillar with a slightly pyramidal top, standing on a square platform. The front of the memorial bears a brass plaque of the King's Royal Rifle Corps regimental badge, which is in the form of a Maltese cross with crown, with the various campaigns of the Corps listed on the arms. The back of the memorial bears a plaque with the inscription: TO THE MEMORY OF ALL RANKS / OF THE RESERVE BATTALIONS OF / THE KINGS ROYAL RIFLE CORPS / WHO TRAINED HERE AND / AFTERWARD GAVE THEIR LIVES / FOR KING AND COUNTRY / 1916 - 1918.
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, 20 July 2017.
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 27 October 2025 to amend details in the description
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 7 March 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/12192
War Memorials Trust - King's Royal Rifle Corps, accessed 7 March 2017 from http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=260
War Memorials Online, accessed 20 July 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/111469
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 15-Jun-2026 at 08:26:04.
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.