Summary
First World War memorial designed by Cecil Greenwood Hare, unveiled 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Langrick War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Churchof St Margaret, 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 simple Calvary cross in Weldon stone designed by the architect Cecil Greenwood Hare.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Margaret (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 Langrick as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 16 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The memorial was unveiled on 15 August 1920 by Major General Sir Reginald Hoskins DSO in a ceremony led by a number of local clergy. It was designed by the architect Cecil Greenwood Hare and the memorial masons were Messrs Thompson of Peterborough. An additional plaque, bearing the names of those who died during the Second World War, was added at a later date.
Cecil Greenwood Hare (1875-1932) specialised in ecclesiastical buildings and church interiors. Hare was a pupil of George Frederick Bodley (1827-1907) whom he joined as a partner in 1907. After Bodley's death, Hare continued to work in the Bodleian idiom. Bodley and Hare’s practice produced the designs for a number of listed war memorials including those at Castle Donington, Beacon Hill, Tutbury, and the Nottinghamshire County and City Parishes (all Grade II).
Details
The memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Margaret (Grade II-listed), overlooking the main road and c30m to the east of the church. It is in the form of a 3.7m tall Latin cross bearing a crucifixion, built in Weldon Stone. It has a two-stepped octagonal base on which stands an octagonal plinth. There are shields carved in relief on four of the plinth sides. The cross shaft is square in section, tapering throughout its length. The stone carved figure of Christ crucified is on the eastern face of the memorial, looking towards the main road.
On the upper tier of the two-stepped base each of the eight sides are inscribed in low relief with the battle areas (south-east) PALESTINE, (south) EAST AFRICA, (south-west) YPRES, (west) AISNE, (north-west) JUTLAND, (north) SOMME, (north-east) MARNE (the eastern side is presently (2017) illegible). Commemorated names are inscribed on bronze plaques attached to the northern and southern sides of the plinth, with a later plaque on the western side recording the names of two men who died in the Second World War.
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, 30 January 2018.
