Hightown War Memorial
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1452923
- Date first listed:
- 27-Apr-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Hightown War Memorial
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1452923
- Date first listed:
- 27-Apr-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Hightown War Memorial
- Location Description:
- Roundabout at the junction of Lower Alt Road, Kerslake Way, Thornbeck Avenue and St Stephen's Road, Hightown, Liverpool, Merseyside
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
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Sefton (Metropolitan Authority)
- Parish:
- Hightown
- National Grid Reference:
- SD2985403701
Summary
First World War memorial, pre-1927, by Trenwith Wills with sculptural work by Herbert Tyson Smith.
Reasons for Designation
Hightown 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:
* as an elegantly designed memorial featuring work by the renowned sculptor Herbert Tyson Smith.
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, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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.
Hightown War Memorial was erected pre-1927 to the designs of Trenwith Wills, with sculptural adornments by Herbert Tyson Smith.
The names of those lost during the Second World War were later included on the memorial's rear face.
Details
First World War memorial, pre-1927, by Trenwith Wills with sculptural work by Herbert Tyson Smith. Cenotaph surmounted by an angel
MATERIALS: mellow red brick with sandstone dressings and slate plaques.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial consists of a tall, tapering cenotaph set upon a hexagonal brick and sandstone platform incorporating four shallow stair flights to the north, south, east and west sides. The cenotaph has a brick and ashlar base with a tapering shaft above in rusticated brickwork and is surmounted by a carved sandstone figure of a kneeling angel placing a wreath with its head bowed and wings folded. At the bottom of the shaft on each face is a slate panel framed in ashlar with a raised head and incised inscriptions picked out in red. The front east face is further embellished with a large carved relief of the Royal crest on a shield flanked by draped flags, sword hilts and Brodie helmets, with a large unadorned cross set above and behind. The inscription to the front east face reads ‘THEIR NAME/ LIVETH FOR/ EVERMORE’ with the dates ‘1914-1919’ carved on the base below. The plaques to the north and south faces are inscribed with the names of those lost, and the plaque to the rear west face is inscribed with the names of those lost, with the dates ‘1939-1945’ carved below.
Sources
Websites
Imperial War Museum entry, accessed 01/12/2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2261
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 07-Jun-2026 at 19:39:37.
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.