Goodleigh War Memorial
The churchyard, Church of St Gregory, Coombe Close, Goodleigh, Barnstaple, EX32 7LU
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1452598
- Date first listed:
- 25-Jan-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Goodleigh War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- The churchyard, Church of St Gregory, Coombe Close, Goodleigh, Barnstaple, EX32 7LU
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:
- 1452598
- Date first listed:
- 25-Jan-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Goodleigh War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- The churchyard, Church of St Gregory, Coombe Close, Goodleigh, Barnstaple, EX32 7LU
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 Gregory, Coombe Close, Goodleigh, Barnstaple, EX32 7LU
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- North Devon (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Goodleigh
- National Grid Reference:
- SS5985334148
Summary
First World War memorial granite cross, unveiled 1921.
Reasons for Designation
Goodleigh 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 Gregory (Grade II*) and the Churchyard Lych Gate and Gates approximately 10 metres south-west of Goodleigh Church (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 Goodleigh as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by eight members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Designed by Mr H Reed of Exeter and supplied by Messrs Bryant and Sons of Barnstaple at a cost of around £85, it was unveiled on 12 March 1921 by Lt-Col BC James DSO.
Details
The Dartmoor granite cross stands in the churchyard to the south of the Church of St Gregory (Grade II*-listed), and close to the churchyard lych gate and gates (Grade II). It takes the form of a plain Latin cross with slightly splayed cross arms, rising from a square plinth. The plinth stands on a two-stage, octagonal, base.
The principal dedicatory inscription to the front face of the plinth reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND TO THE HONOURED MEMORY OF/ THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919. The commemorated names are recorded on faces of the upper stage of the base.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 16 November 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/25553
Devon Heritage, Goodleigh War Memorial, accessed 16 November 2017 from http://www.devonheritage.org/Places/Goodleigh/Goodleigh1914-1918WarMemorial.htm
Other
‘Goodleigh War Memorial’, Western Times, 14 March 1921, p3
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 22-Jun-2026 at 19:53:11.
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.