Summary
War memorial in the form of a statue of Mary with the infant Christ set on a plinth, situated in a platformed area with stepped backing wall.
Reasons for Designation
Pimlico (St Barnabas) 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 local community, and the sacrifices it made in the First World War;
* Design: as an attractive war memorial with a well executed sculpture of Mary with the infant Christ;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed St Barnabas Church and Grade II-listed Parsonage and Gateway.
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 the country. 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
Statue of a robed Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ, his arms outstretched; both have halos. This stands atop an octagonal pillar which rests on a half-octagon plinth, the faces of which are decorated with quatrefoils. The plinth stands on a platformed area, replete with a tiered backing wall. The uppermost section, behind the pillar, has two panels bearing (badly eroded) inscriptions, which are designed to be read together. It reads: ? lives | to Almighty God / ? vouchsafed | to us in the war of / 1914 - 1918 and to the | sacred memory of those / connected with this | Church and Parish / who suffered and gave | their lives in the cause | of justice liberty and truth this figure of / ? Love is dedicated | ?.
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