Rainham war memorial
Rainham War Memorial, High Street, Rainham, Kent
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1448409
- Date first listed:
- 20-Sept-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Rainham war memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Rainham War Memorial, High Street, Rainham, Kent
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1448409
- Date first listed:
- 20-Sept-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Rainham war memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Rainham War Memorial, High Street, Rainham, Kent
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:
- Rainham War Memorial, High Street, Rainham, Kent
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Medway (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ8168665909
Summary
War memorial, erected 1920.
Reasons for Designation
Rainham War Memorial, erected in 1920, 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 sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* A dignified and well-crafted granite cross, embellished with carved ornament.
Group value:
* With the Grade I-listed church of St Margaret, its churchyard walls and group of four tombs (listed at 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 Rainham, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was erected at a cost of £520, and was unveiled on 12 December 1920, attended by Major General HF Thuiller, CB CMG.
Details
War memorial, erected 1920.
A Cornish granite memorial in the form of a Celtic cross mounted on a tall tapering plinth on a shallow base, set on stepped paving.
The face of the shaft, and of the cross, is enriched with intertwined foliate designs and circular motifs above an inscription:
THIS CROSS WAS ERECTED BY THE/ INHABITANTS OF RAINHAM IN GRATEFUL/ MEMORY OF THE GALLANT MEN FROM/ THIS PARISH WHO IN THE GREAT WAR/ OF 1914-1919 GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ SONS OF THIS PLACE LET THIS OF YOU BE SAID/ THAT YOU WHO LIVE ARE WORTHY OF YOUR DEAD/ THESE GAVE THEIR LIVES THAT YOU WHO LIVE MAY REAP/ A RICHER HARVEST ERE YOU FALL ASLEEP/ "HE WILL SWALLOW UP DEATH IN VICTORY"/ ISAIAH XXV.8/ (Names).
The sides and rear are of tooled granite. The plinth is inscribed with the names of the 99 fallen.
Sources
Websites
Rainham war memorial, accessed 4 July 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2253
Rainham, Medway, Kent, accessed 4 July 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/126742
Rainham's War Memorial, accessed 4 July 2017 from http://www.rainham-history.co.uk/articleslist/21-rainhams-war-memorial-by-paul-bishop
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 22-Jun-2026 at 21:28:28.
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.