Bedingfield War Memorial
The churchyard, Church of St Mary, Bedingfield, Suffolk, IP23 7QG
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1452103
- Date first listed:
- 30-Jan-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Bedingfield War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- The churchyard, Church of St Mary, Bedingfield, Suffolk, IP23 7QG
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1452103
- Date first listed:
- 30-Jan-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Bedingfield War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- The churchyard, Church of St Mary, Bedingfield, Suffolk, IP23 7QG
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 Mary, Bedingfield, Suffolk, IP23 7QG
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Suffolk
- District:
- Mid Suffolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Bedingfield
- National Grid Reference:
- TM1800868772
Summary
First World War memorial cross, unveiled 1920.
Reasons for Designation
Bedingfield 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 richly ornamented wheel-head cross, in the Celtic style;
* 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 Mary (Grade I).
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 Bedingfield as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 14 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial was built by Mr EE Saunders of Ipswich, who erected many war memorials in Suffolk including examples listed at Grade II. It was unveiled in March 1920.
Details
The Portland stone memorial, about 3.3m tall, stands in a prominent position at the intersection of two paths in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary (Grade I). It comprises a Celtic cross with carved interlace patterns decorating the wheel-head. The cross head rises from a tapering cross shaft, standing on a tapering plinth and single-stepped base.
The main inscription in incised and painted lettering, recorded on an inset panel in the front face of the cross shaft, reads IN/ PROUD/ AND/ LOVING/ MEMORY/ OF/ THE/ MEN/ FROM/ THIS/ VILLAGE/ WHO/ GAVE/ THEIR/ LIVES/ IN/ THE/ GREAT/ WAR/ 1914–1918. Fourteen names are recorded on the front face of the plinth, with below on the base GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS.
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 15 June 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/4696
War Memorials Online, accessed 27 February 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/255055
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 09:29:02.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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