Wootton Peace Memorial

St Mary's Churchyard, Church Street, Wootton, Oxfordshire

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

First World War memorial, 1920. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1448728
Date first listed:: 03-Aug-2017
List Entry Name:: Wootton Peace Memorial
Statutory Address:: St Mary's Churchyard, Church Street, Wootton, Oxfordshire

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1448728
Date first listed:: 03-Aug-2017
List Entry Name:: Wootton Peace Memorial
Statutory Address 1:: St Mary's Churchyard, Church Street, Wootton, Oxfordshire

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:: St Mary's Churchyard, Church Street, Wootton, Oxfordshire

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

County:: Oxfordshire
District:: West Oxfordshire (District Authority)
Parish:: Wootton
National Grid Reference:: SP4388419867

Summary

First World War memorial, 1920.

Reasons for Designation

Wootton Peace Memorial, which is situated in St Mary’s churchyard, 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 during the First World War;

Architectural interest: * An elegant war memorial which takes the more unusual form of a sundial;

Group value: * For its relationship with the Church of St Mary (Grade II*-listed), School Cottages (Grade II-listed) and several Grade II-listed chest tombs.

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 Wootton 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 unveiled on 14 November 1920 by the Duke of Marlborough.

A tablet carrying the names of those from the parish who died during the war is inside St Mary's Church.

Details

First World War memorial, 1920.

MATERIALS: Somerset stone, bronze, stone.

DESCRIPTION: Wootton War Memorial is located to the south-west corner of St Mary’s churchyard overlooking Church Street. It is in close proximity to the Church of St Mary (Grade II*-listed), School Cottages (Grade II-listed) and several Grade II-listed chest tombs.

The memorial is of Somerset stone and takes the form of a square block sundial with a bronze gnomon to the south face and a Latin cross incised into the north face. The sundial has a moulded base and cap, which is surmounted by a globe. This crowns a tapering octagonal shaft, which rises from a chamfered octagonal base upon a square plinth with chamfered top corners and moulded foot. The whole is atop a three-stepped, square base of coursed stone. Plaques are affixed to the south face of the top and middle step of the base.

To the base of the shaft, incised into the south face, is the inscription: PRO PATRIA/ 1914 – 1919. Directly below incised to the plinth are the words: AS THE SUNNY HOURS DIRECT OUR THOUGHTS ABOVE/ SO THE LIVES OF VALIANT MEN/ LEAD US TO HIM WHO IS THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

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, 1 September 2017.

Sources

Websites
‘Oxfordshire Country Walk – Cotswolds – Blenheim Palace – Woodstock to Wootton Round’, Walking with the Taxi Driver, accessed 30 June 2017 from http://www.walkingwiththetaxidriver.co.uk/the-walks/oxfordshire/cotswolds-blenheim-palace-woodstock-to-wootton-round/
Geograph, accessed 30 June 2017 from http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5195264
War Memorials Online, accessed 1 September 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/195943
War Memorials Register, accessed 30 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/31728
Other
‘Town and County News Extracts’, Banbury Advertiser, (18 November 1920), pp6

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.