Bredbury and Romiley War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Bredbury and Romiley War Memorial, which is situated at the junction of Berrycroft Lane, King’s Road and George Lane, Bredbury, 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:

* an elegant cross fleurée memorial.

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 Bredbury as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local communities of Bredbury and Romiley who lost their lives in the First World War. It was presumably erected not long after the end of the conflict and was in situ by the Ordnance Survey County Series 25in map published in 1934. It commemorates 143 local servicemen, 85 from Bredbury and 58 from Romiley. 

Following the Second World War, a dedication and the names of the 64 servicemen who died in that conflict were added to the memorial; 31 men from Bredbury and 33 men from Romiley. The memorial stands (2017) within a circular area of irregular paving, which is bounded by planting and paired groups of decorative metal posts.

In 2017 the memorial received funding from War Memorials Trust for its repair and conservation.

Details

First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.

DESCRIPTION: Bredbury and Romiley War Memorial is located within a circular area of hardstanding on a traffic island at the junction of Berrycroft Lane, King’s Road and George Lane, Bredbury.

It takes the form of a stone cross fleurée above a moulded collar on a tapering, octagonal shaft, which terminates in a moulded foot. This rises from an octagonal, two-tiered plinth on a two-stepped base. The inscription and names are recorded on the plinth; all lettering is incised and painted black.

The principal inscription is to the south-east face of the upper-tier of the plinth and reads, THIS CROSS IS ERECTED/ TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND/ TO THE MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF BREDBURY/ AND ROMILEY/ WHO LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR,/ 1914-1918./ “THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE”. The 143 names of the servicemen who died in this conflict are recorded in columns beneath the name of their village on the remaining faces of the upper-tier of the plinth; four faces carry the names of the men from Bredbury and three faces carry those of Romiley.

The dedication to the Second World War, is to the south-east face of the lower-tier of the plinth and reads, THE LOWER TABLETS RECORD/ THE NAMES OF THE MEN OF/ BREDBURY AND ROMILEY/ WHO LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES IN THE/ SECOND WORLD WAR,/ 1939-1945. The names of the 64 servicemen who died in this conflict are recorded in columns beneath the name of their village on the remaining faces of the lower-tier of the plinth; three faces carry the names of the men from Bredbury and four faces carry those of Romiley (an exception is an additional name from Bredbury, which was added beneath a list from Romiley).

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 27 November 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2795
War Memorials Online, accessed 27 November 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/119813
Stockport, Bredbury and Romiley War Memorial, accessed 27 November 2017 from http://www.mlfhs.org.uk/data/war_memorials_images.php?memorial=56

Other
OS Map 25” (1934 edn)

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