Benacre War Memorial
The churchyard, Church of St Michael, Benacre, Suffolk, NR34 7LL
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1452054
- Date first listed:
- 09-Feb-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Benacre War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- The churchyard, Church of St Michael, Benacre, Suffolk, NR34 7LL
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1452054
- Date first listed:
- 09-Feb-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Benacre War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- The churchyard, Church of St Michael, Benacre, Suffolk, NR34 7LL
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:
- The churchyard, Church of St Michael, Benacre, Suffolk, NR34 7LL
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Suffolk
- District:
- East Suffolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Benacre
- National Grid Reference:
- TM5113884450
Summary
First World War memorial cross.
Reasons for Designation
Benacre War Memorial, which stands in the 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 the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the First World War.
Architectural interest:
* a simple yet poignant war memorial cross in granite;
* unusually, the memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration, and thus retains its original design intent.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Michael (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 Benacre as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the five members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Details
The grey granite memorial stands in the churchyard, close to the Church of St Michael (Grade II*). It comprises a plain Latin cross standing on a rough-hewn, tapered plinth, standing approximately 2.1m high.
The main inscription in raised leaded lettering to the west face of the plinth reads THIS CROSS WAS ERECTED/ BY THE PARISH TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF/ (NAMES)/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR/ COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914–1918.
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, 27 February 2018.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 8 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/8952
War Memorials Online, accessed 27 February 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/255057
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 24-Jun-2026 at 16:08:21.
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.