Dunwich War Memorial Cross

c40m north-west of St James's Church, Westleton Road, Dunwich, Suffolk, IP17 3DY

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

First World War memorial granite cross, unveiled 1920, with later additions for the Second World War. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1453704
Date first listed:: 09-Mar-2018
List Entry Name:: Dunwich War Memorial Cross
Statutory Address:: c40m north-west of St James's Church, Westleton Road, Dunwich, Suffolk, IP17 3DY

The Missing Pieces Project

Share your view of unique places.

Add your contribution

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.

There is a problem

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

Find out more about listing

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1453704
Date first listed:: 09-Mar-2018
List Entry Name:: Dunwich War Memorial Cross
Statutory Address 1:: c40m north-west of St James's Church, Westleton Road, Dunwich, Suffolk, IP17 3DY

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: c40m north-west of St James's Church, Westleton Road, Dunwich, Suffolk, IP17 3DY

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Suffolk
District:: East Suffolk (District Authority)
Parish:: Dunwich
National Grid Reference:: TM4743070626

Summary

First World War memorial granite cross, unveiled 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Dunwich War Memorial Cross, which stands opposite the Church of St James, 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 simple yet poignant granite wheel-head cross, in the Celtic style.

Group value:

* with the Church of St James and the Remains of All Saints' Church 25 metres South of Church of St James (both Grade II-listed).

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 Dunwich as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 10 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial was unveiled on Sunday 16 May 1920. The name of one parishioner who died during the Second World War was subsequently added to the memorial.

Details

The memorial stands in a prominent roadside location beside Westleton Road, opposite the Church of St James (Grade II) and the remains of All Saints' Church (Grade II). It comprises a grey granite wheel-head cross bearing a reversed sword on its front face, standing on a tapering plinth with a single-stepped base. The memorial is approached from the road by a short flight of steps, made of blocks of grey granite.

The principal dedicatory inscription in applied metal lettering to the front face of the plinth reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE OF/ (10 NAMES)/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR JUSTICE AND RIGHT/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914–1918./ THEY LOVED NOT THEIR LIVES UNTO THE DEATH/ (1 NAME). The commemorated names are recorded with regiment or Service, and date of death.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 10 July 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/117220/
War Memorials Register, accessed 10 July 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/5484

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.