Horningsham War Memorial
Junction of Water Lane and Church Street, Horningsham, Wiltshire, BA12 7LJ
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1451582
- Date first listed:
- 09-Jan-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Horningsham War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Junction of Water Lane and Church Street, Horningsham, Wiltshire, BA12 7LJ
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1451582
- Date first listed:
- 09-Jan-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Horningsham War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Junction of Water Lane and Church Street, Horningsham, Wiltshire, BA12 7LJ
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 Water Lane and Church Street, Horningsham, Wiltshire, BA12 7LJ
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Horningsham
- National Grid Reference:
- ST8168841259
Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled 12 December 1920, with Second World War additions.
Reasons for Designation
Horningsham War Memorial, which is situated near the junction of Water Lane 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 the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* as a well-executed example of a wheel-head cross memorial with finely carved flower and foliate detail.
Group value:
* with the Grade II-listed Spring Head to the north-east of the memorial.
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 Horningsham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The memorial was unveiled on Sunday 12 December 1920 by Major General Sir Harold Goodeve Ruggles-Brise with the dedication undertaken by Reverend Canon W Jacob (Rural Dean and vicar of Warminster). It was designed and sculpted by Mr F Parker of Newtown, Warminster and built by workers from the Longleat Estate. The memorial commemorates the 24 men from the local community who died in the First World War.
A rectangular stone tablet was subsequently added to commemorate the four parishioners who died in the Second World War.
Details
First World War memorial, 1920, with Second World War additions.
DESCRIPTION: Horningsham War Memorial is located within an enclosed area of hard-standing on a grassed bank near the junction of Water Lane and Church Street. To the north-east of the memorial is the Grade II-listed Spring Head.
It takes the form of a Portland stone wheel-head cross with carved flower and foliate decoration in relief to the three arms and centre of the cross, to both the rear (north-west) and front (south-east) faces. The segments of the wheel contain the following words carved in relief, THE/ GIFT OF GOD/ IS ETERNAL/ LIFE to the front face only. The cross has a tapering shaft terminating in a moulded foot. The shaft rises from a four-sided plinth with moulded cap and a narrow, square foot. This surmounts a two-stepped octagonal base.
The plinth carries the principal inscription and names in incised lettering. The front face reads, IN LASTING AND/ GLORIOUS MEMORY/ OF THESE WHO FELL/ IN THE WAR/ 1914–1918. The names of the 24 men who died are recorded on the remaining three faces of the plinth.
An additional rectangular stone tablet is set flat on the upper step of the base beneath the main inscription and carries the following inscription in incised lettering, 1939-1945/ (NAMES).
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The memorial stands within a small area of paving enclosed by a low wall of coursed stone with rounded, flat stone coping to the east, west and north boundaries. The southern boundary is formed by a continuation of the boundary wall running parallel with the road and includes the entrance gate to the enclosure.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 11 October 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/55926
War Memorials Online, accessed 11 October 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/223900/
Other
‘Horningsham. Permanent War Memorial’, The Wiltshire Times, (13 November 1920), pp4
'Horningsham. Died to Preserve our Freedom.', The Wiltshire Times, (18 December 1920), pp8
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 10-Jun-2026 at 16:31:03.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.