Essendon War Memorial
Junction of Church Street and High Road, Essendon, Hertfordshire, AL9 6AR
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1448624
- Date first listed:
- 15-Aug-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Essendon War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Junction of Church Street and High Road, Essendon, Hertfordshire, AL9 6AR
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1448624
- Date first listed:
- 15-Aug-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Essendon War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Junction of Church Street and High Road, Essendon, Hertfordshire, AL9 6AR
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:
- Junction of Church Street and High Road, Essendon, Hertfordshire, AL9 6AR
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Hertfordshire
- District:
- Welwyn Hatfield (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Essendon
- National Grid Reference:
- TL2741908711
Summary
A First World War memorial with later Second World War additions.
Reasons for Designation
Essendon war memorial, which is situated on a paved area at the junction of High Road and Church Street, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* As an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* An elegant wheel-head cross with finely carved fleur-de-lis detailing.
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 Essendon as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 25 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was presumably erected not long after the end of the war and was in-situ by the Ordnance Survey County Series 25in map published in 1924.
Following the Second World War, a stone tablet was added in dedication to the seven members of the community who died during that conflict.
Details
A First World War memorial with later Second World War additions.
MATERIALS: limestone.
DESCRIPTION: Essendon war memorial is located near the centre of the village on top of a hill. It stands within a paved area at the junction of High Road and Church Street. It consists of a limestone wheel-head cross with fleur-de-lis detailing to the four segments of the wheel. The cross has a tapering octagonal shaft with moulded foot; this rises from an octagonal plinth on a three-stepped base. The plinth has a moulded cap and foot and carries the principal inscription and names.
INSCRIPTION: the front (south) face of the plinth has the inscription: FOR GOD,/ KING AND COUNTRY/ 1914 – 1918. The 25 names are recorded on the faces of the plinth to either side of the inscription and the west face. Attached to the middle step of the base facing south is a stone tablet with chamfered top corners; an inset panel carries the Second World War dedication, which reads: 1939 – 1945/ (7 NAMES). All lettering is incised and painted black.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The memorial is within a small paved area bounded by a low brick wall.
Sources
Websites
Roll of Honour, accessed 27 June 2017 from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Hertfordshire/Essendon.html
War Memorials Online, accessed 27 June 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/121387
War Memorials Register, accessed 27 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1123
Other
OS Map 25” (1924 edn)
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 04-Jun-2026 at 06:11:05.
Download a full scale map (PDF)© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900.© British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2026. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.
End of official list entry