War memorial in the churchyard of St Stephen's Church

Church of St Stephen, St. Stephen's Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR3 7HS

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Overview

War memorial, erected in 1919. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1448607
Date first listed:: 02-Aug-2017
List Entry Name:: War memorial in the churchyard of St Stephen's Church
Statutory Address:: Church of St Stephen, St. Stephen's Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR3 7HS

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1448607
Date first listed:: 02-Aug-2017
List Entry Name:: War memorial in the churchyard of St Stephen's Church
Statutory Address 1:: Church of St Stephen, St. Stephen's Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR3 7HS

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: Church of St Stephen, St. Stephen's Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR3 7HS

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Worcestershire
District:: Worcester (District Authority)
Parish:: Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:: SO8471256861

Summary

War memorial, erected in 1919.

Reasons for Designation

The war memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St Stephen in Worcester is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* It is an accomplished and well-realised calvary cross war memorial which displays good sculptural detail, and remains in its original location;

Historic interest:

* The war memorial has strong cultural and historical significance within both a local and national context as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the First and Second World Wars;

Group value: * With the Grade II-listed Church of St Stephen.

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, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised in the churchyard of the Church of St Stephen in Worcester. It was unveiled by Mrs H W Spreckley (whose three sons had died during the war) and dedicated on Sunday 5 October 1919. It is shown in this location on an aerial photograph dated 1920 and the 3rd edition (1927) Ordnance Survey map. Additional inscriptions to honour the Fallen of the Second World War were added at some point after 1945.

Details

War memorial, erected in 1919.

MATERIALS: a stone base with a wooden cross and canopy, and a wooden statue of Christ.

DESCRIPTION: located to the east of the Church of St Stephen (Grade II-listed) the war memorial comprises a kerbed and paved octagonal platform, a three-stepped, octagonal base, and a square plinth surmounted by a timber calvary cross, with an open triangular pediment above. The wooden sculpture of Christ is on the east face of the cross, and above is a plaque with the initials ‘INRI’ (this stands for Iesus Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm and translates as Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews).

On the east face of the plinth is the inscription:

TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN THANKFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH / WHOM HE INSPIRED TO SUFFER AND TO DIE / FOR THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM AND RIGHT / IN THE GREAT WAR OF 1914 – 1919 / AND WHOSE NAMES ARE INSCRIBED HEREON / THIS REPRESENTATION OF THE SUPREME SACRIFICE / IS ERECTED BY THEIR FELLOW PARISHIONERS / GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS / THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.

The names of 75 men who died during the conflict are inscribed on the other sides of the plinth and the top riser of the west and north step.

The top riser of the east step is inscribed centrally with the date 1939 – 1945, and to either side are inscribed the three names, six in total, of the men of the parish who died in the Second World War.

Sources

Websites
A brief history of St Stephen's Church, accessed 27 June 2017 from https://www.st-stephens-church-worcester.org.uk/history/
War Memorials Online, accessed 1 September 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/222066
War Memorials Register, accessed 27 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/52075

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 s.1 (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.