St Peter's Church War Memorial, Devizes

Summary

First World War memorial, 1920, with Second World War additions.

Reasons for Designation

St Peter’s Church war memorial, Devizes, which is situated in St Peter’s 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 conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* a well-executed Calvary cross memorial utilising high quality materials and demonstrating fine craftsmanship in the sculptural depictions of Christ and the Virgin Mary;

* designed by renowned architect Sir John Ninian Comper.

Group value:

* with the Grade II listed Church of St Peter.

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 in the churchyard of the Church of St Peter, Devizes, 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 in 1920 by Field Marshal Lord Methuen and was dedicated to the 45 servicemen who died in the conflict. It was designed by Sir John Ninian Comper.

Following the Second World War an ‘S’ was added to the end of the inscription so that it would commemorate ‘THE GREAT WARS’ and the dates of the conflict were also included.

In 2017 the memorial underwent repair and conservation works with two stones replaced in the base.

The architect Sir John Ninian Comper (1864-1960) attended Ruskin’s School at Oxford before working as assistant to CE Kempe, the glass painter and church craftsman. He was articled to church architects Bodley and Garner in 1883. Comper became renowned for the virtuosity of his designs for church fixtures, fittings, furnishings and stained glass. Before about 1904 he based his work on C14 Gothic, but following a trip to the Mediterranean he developed a more eclectic style which synthesized many decorative and architectural styles. Comper was knighted in 1950. He was responsible for the design of numerous war memorials including the Welsh National War Memorial (Grade II* listed), the Warriors' Chapel at Westminster Abbey (1925), and the memorial crosses at St Laurence’s Church, Long Eaton; St Margaret’s Church, Tintinhull; St Mary's Church, Ketton; and St Andrew’s Church, Hertford (all listed Grade II).

Details

First World War memorial, 1920, with Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: Clipsham sandstone; Blue Forest of Dean sandstone.

DESCRIPTION: the war memorial is located in the churchyard to the north of the Church of St Peter (Grade II listed), adjacent to the A361 Bath Road.

It takes the form of a Calvary cross with sculpted figures to each face; to the south-west is a sculpted representation of Christ on the cross while to the north-east is a sculpted depiction of the Virgin Mary carrying the Infant Jesus. Above the figure of Christ, to the vertical arm of the cross, is a carved scroll. Directly below the cross-head is a carved collar incorporating shield motifs beneath the sculpted figures. The shields are carved with the monograms IHS and the Alpha and Omega. This surmounts a tall, slender, octagonal Clipsham sandstone shaft, which terminates in inverted chamfered stops and rises from a square plinth. The plinth is also of Clipsham stone, and is chamfered along the top edge with curved chamfers to the top corners. The whole surmounts a two-stepped, octagonal, Blue Forest of Dean sandstone base.

The plinth carries the inscription and names in incised lettering.

INSCRIPTION: the north-west face has a wreath carved in relief, within which are the words: TO/ THE MEN OF/ THIS PLACE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WARS/ 1914–1919/ 1939–1945. The 45 names are recorded on the other three faces of the plinth (15 to each face), preceded by the dates 1914–1919.


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, 31 January 2018.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 27 October 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/24107
Symondson, A ‘Comper, Sir (John) Ninian (1864–1960)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online edition, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 01 November 2017 from http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/32522
War Memorials Online, accessed 31 January 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/197398

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