First World War Memorial at the Church of St Mark, Kennington

Summary

Stone First World War memorial, erected and unveiled in 1921.

Reasons for Designation

The First World War Memorial at the Church of St Mark, Kennington is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural interest: as a modest but poignant First World War memorial formed of good quality materials;

* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, especially the members of the parish of St Mark’s who were killed in the First World War, and the sacrifices made in the conflicts of the C20;

* Group value: with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Mark and the Grade II-listed churchyard wall and piers.

History

St Mark’s church, Kennington was built between 1822 and 1824 by D R Roper to the design of A B Clayton, as one of the four ‘Waterloo’ churches built in south London following the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

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.

In October 1916 a timber 'war shrine' was erected in the churchyard of St Mark's Church with contemporary press recording: 'The shrine faces the Oval railway station and is of stained wood, a prominent feature being the representation of a cross, on each side of which is inscribed the names of the 65 gallant men who have given themselves to their country's service...' (South London Press, 20 October 1916).

By the end of the war the number of casualties had risen greatly, with the existing granite memorial being raised at the Church of St Mark as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Erected to the west of the church the memorial replaced the earlier timber war shrine of 1916 and takes the form of a large cross set on a high tapering plinth. It was dedicated by the Bishop of Southwark and unveiled by Mr H.G. Purchase, MP for Kennington, on 29 October 1921. There are approximately 300 names listed on the memorial, including VC winner George Jarratt, who died on 3 May 1917 during the Battle of Arras.

Details

First World War memorial, 1921.

MATERIALS: Granite.

DESCRIPTION: The memorial is situated to the west of the Church of St Mark (Grade II*-listed) within a landscaped area, in close proximity to the Grade II-listed walls and piers around west, north and east sides of the churchyard.

It is of granite and takes the form of a tall, Latin cross with tapering shaft rising from a high, square plinth. The plinth has a tapering cap with cornice beneath; each face has a band along the top and stone panel bearing the inscription and names in raised, leaded lettering. To the corners of the plinth are inset, engaged columns. The plinth surmounts a square block with corbels attached in pairs to each face, which is atop a moulded foot with projecting, rectangular blocks to the centre of each side. The whole surmounts a three-stepped base.

The principal inscription is to the west face and reads TO THE GLORY/ OF GOD/ AND IN/ HONOURED/ MEMORY OF/ THE MEN/ FROM THIS/ PARISH AND/ NEIGHBOURHOOD/ WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES/ IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918/ “MAY WE IN/ FAITH AND/ HONOUR KEEP/ THAT PEACE/ FOR WHICH/ THEY PAID”. The names are listed in columns on the remaining three faces, with additional names added to the block beneath.

A further inscription reads along the band around the top of the plinth. The west face reads I AM THE, followed by RESURRECTION to the south face, AND THE LIFE to the east face and ST JOHN XI.25 to the north face. Both the east and west faces of the band also have a raised, leaded cross pattée symbol.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 1 August 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/12169
War Memorials Online, accessed 1 August 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/175333?search=search_map%253Fsearch_value%253D175333

Other
Brixton Free Press, (4 November 1921)
South London Press, (20 October 1916)
South London Press, (4 November 1921)
Illustrated London News , (05 November 1921)

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