Eriswell War Memorial
Outside the Church of St Lawrence, The Street, Eriswell, Suffolk, IP27 9BH
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1454112
- Date first listed:
- 06-Mar-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Eriswell War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Outside the Church of St Lawrence, The Street, Eriswell, Suffolk, IP27 9BH
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1454112
- Date first listed:
- 06-Mar-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Eriswell War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Outside the Church of St Lawrence, The Street, Eriswell, Suffolk, IP27 9BH
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:
- Outside the Church of St Lawrence, The Street, Eriswell, Suffolk, IP27 9BH
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Suffolk
- District:
- West Suffolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Eriswell
- National Grid Reference:
- TL7239378015
Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled 29 May 1920.
Reasons for Designation
Eriswell War Memorial, which is situated outside St Lawrence’s churchyard along The Street, 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 well-executed wheel-head cross memorial with a finely carved sword of sacrifice.
Group value:
* with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Lawrence.
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 Eriswell as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the eight members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled on 29 May 1920 by Lieutenant-Colonel W E Guinness and dedicated by the rector, Reverend E W Cockell.
Details
First World War memorial, unveiled 1920.
DESCRIPTION: Eriswell War Memorial is located just outside the parish churchyard, to the south-east of the Church of St Lawrence (Grade II*-listed).
It is of grey granite and takes the form of a wheel-head cross with a tapering four-sided shaft. Carved in relief to the east face of the cross-head and upper part of the shaft is an inverted Sword of Sacrifice with trefoils to the pommel and ends of the cross-guard. The shaft rises from a rough-hewn, four-sided, tapering plinth surmounting a single-stepped base.
The dedication is in leaded lettering within a smooth, inset panel on the east face of the plinth and reads ERECTED/ BY THE PARISH OF ERISWELL/ IN MEMORY OF/ (8 NAMES)/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR,/ 1914–1919.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The memorial stands within a square area of gravel bounded by stone kerbs. The area is enclosed by nine posts with chains between; there is an opening to the east side to allow access to the memorial.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 19 January 2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/4539
War Memorials Online, accessed 19 January 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/138334/
Other
‘War Memorial Unveiled at Eriswell’, Bury Free Press, (5 June 1920), pp2
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 09-Jun-2026 at 21:36:19.
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.