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

First World War memorial cross, unveiled 1920. Read the official list entry to find out more.

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

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Official 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

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

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 Online, accessed 27 February 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/255055
War Memorials Register, accessed 15 June 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/4696

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.