Black Torrington War Memorial
Black Torrington War Memorial, Broad Street, Junction with Victoria Road, Black Torrington, Torridge, EX21 5PT
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1452556
- Date first listed:
- 19-Dec-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Black Torrington War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Black Torrington War Memorial, Broad Street, Junction with Victoria Road, Black Torrington, Torridge, EX21 5PT
Have you got a photo to share?
Join the Missing Pieces Project. We want you to share your photos and memories.
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1452556
- Date first listed:
- 19-Dec-2017
- List Entry Name:
- Black Torrington War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Black Torrington War Memorial, Broad Street, Junction with Victoria Road, Black Torrington, Torridge, EX21 5PT
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:
- Black Torrington War Memorial, Broad Street, Junction with Victoria Road, Black Torrington, Torridge, EX21 5PT
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- Torridge (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Black Torrington
- National Grid Reference:
- SS4655705456
Summary
A First World War memorial, built in 1920; altered after the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Black Torrington War Memorial 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:
* for its design, a well-executed granite cross.
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 750,000 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 Black Torrington, 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 27 July 1920 by Colonel C E English and was dedicated by the Venerable Archdeacon of Totnes. The land the memorial sits on was given by the lord of the manor, Colonel Coham-Fleming.
The memorial commemorates eight local servicemen who died during the First World War. Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the six men who fell in that conflict.
Details
A First World War memorial, built in 1920; altered after the Second World War.
MATERIALS: granite.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial consists of a rough-hewn Latin cross, set on tapering shaft, which terminates in a tapering square plinth on a two stepped base.
The inscriptions are on recessed panels on the face of the plinth. The main inscription on the front face reads: IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE FROM THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ (NAMES). The side face is inscribed: 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES).
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the memorial stands on a green, with shallow steps bounded by rounded-topped edging stones leading up to it. The edge of the green is delineated by tapering, square-section pylons joined by metal link fencing; the entrance to the green, at the foot of the steps, is a gateway with larger versions of the pylons as piers, and a wrought-iron pedestrian gate.
Sources
Websites
Imperial War Museums War Memorials Register – Black Torrington (25839), accessed 15.11.2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/25839
War Memorials Online Database, Black Torrington WMO213060, accessed 15 November 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/213060/
Other
‘Unveiled at Black Torrington’, Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, 30 July 1920, p. 13
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 05-Jun-2026 at 17:47:14.
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.