Shipdham War Memorial
Shipdham War Memorial, All Saints Churchyard, Church Close, Shipdham, Norfolk, IP25 7LX
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1453998
- Date first listed:
- 16-Mar-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Shipdham War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Shipdham War Memorial, All Saints Churchyard, Church Close, Shipdham, Norfolk, IP25 7LX
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1453998
- Date first listed:
- 16-Mar-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Shipdham War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Shipdham War Memorial, All Saints Churchyard, Church Close, Shipdham, Norfolk, IP25 7LX
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:
- Shipdham War Memorial, All Saints Churchyard, Church Close, Shipdham, Norfolk, IP25 7LX
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Norfolk
- District:
- Breckland (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Shipdham
- National Grid Reference:
- TF9580107339
Summary
First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Shipdham War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* it is 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.
Group value:
* it has strong group value with the Grade I listed Church of All Saints.
History
Shipdham war memorial was unveiled by the Dean of Norwich on 6 February 1921 and, like many Norfolk war memorials, was situated within the churchyard. It commemorates 29 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and 10 men who fell in the Second World War. It also commemorates the fact that the 8th Bomber Command USAAF were based at Shipdham Airfield. In 2012 the names of two further casualties from the Second World War were added.
The memorial was built at a cost of around £170 by the stonemasons Messrs Harry Hems and Sons whose workshop was based in Exeter. After the death of Harry Hems in 1916, the workshop continued to flourish under his three sons, Greville, Wilfred and Harry, who were best known for their ecclesiastical work. Amongst their most notable work is the conservation of the medieval screen at St Alban’s Cathedral.
Details
First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIALS: grey Devonshire granite from Dartmoor.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located in the churchyard of the Grade I listed All Saints Church. It consists of a rough-hewn Celtic wheel head cross on a slightly tapering shaft, resting upon a three-tiered octagonal base that bears the inscriptions. The cross head is decorated with carved strapwork and the Crown of Victory at the centre. The memorial is surrounded by eight low granite posts.
The inscription is in black-painted relief lettering and reads: THEIR NAME/ LIVETH FOR/ EVERMORE/ IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF SHIPDHAM/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919/ (NAMES)/ TO/ THE FALLEN/ 8TH BOMBER/ COMMAND/ U.S.A.A.F./ 1939-1945/ (NAMES).
Sources
Websites
UK Inventory of War Memorials, accessed 17 January 2018 from www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/search
‘Harry Hems', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, accessed 17 January 2018 from http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=ann_1303935746
Shipdam Parish Council website, accessed 17 January 2018 from http://www.shipdham.org/the-royal-british-legion/shipdham-war-memorial/
Other
Thetford & Watton Times and People's Weekly Journal (Saturday 12 February 1921), p.3, ‘Shipdham’s Memorial: Unveiled by the Dean of Norwich.’
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 04-Jun-2026 at 06:20:32.
Download a full scale map (PDF)© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900.© British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2026. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.
End of official list entry