Lostwithiel War Memorial
The Parade, Lostwithiel, Cornwall
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1454181
- Date first listed:
- 20-Mar-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Lostwithiel War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- The Parade, Lostwithiel, Cornwall
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1454181
- Date first listed:
- 20-Mar-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Lostwithiel War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- The Parade, Lostwithiel, Cornwall
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:
- The Parade, Lostwithiel, Cornwall
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Cornwall (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Lostwithiel
- National Grid Reference:
- SX1057159768
Summary
A First World War memorial, built in 1921; with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Lostwithiel War Memorial erected in 1921, 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 well-executed and elegant memorial in the form of a granite obelisk.
Group value:
* with North Street Bridge (Grade I).
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 750,000 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 Lostwithiel, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
In 1919, Lostwithiel Borough Council and the Royal British Legion resolved to erect a war memorial. A committee was set up and public subscriptions sought. The memorial was constructed in 1921 by Joseph Nicholls of J Nicholls and Son, local masons, a task made all the more poignant as one of those commemorated was Mr Nicholls' own son. Lostwithiel Council paid a total of £350 for the monument, which was built from granite from quarries in Bodmin and Luxulyan.
The memorial was unveiled on 4 May 1921, by the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, during a ceremony attended by the Mayor and local dignitaries; an ecumenical service was taken by three local ministers, from the Anglican, Wesleyan and United Methodist churches. The large crowd in attendance included the families of those who had lost their lives, who were especially invited.
Joseph Nicholls also made an extra block commemorating the local men who died in the Second World War; this was inserted into the memorial in 1946.
Details
A First World War memorial, built in 1921; with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIALS
Granite.
DESCRIPTION
The memorial takes the form of a granite obelisk with a moulded foot, on a high, square-section pedestal with arcades, an arch on each side. The pedestal is inscribed in black lettering “LEST WE FORGET”/ THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED/ IN THE LASTING MEMORY OF/ THE GALLANT MEN OF THIS/ BOROUGH WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES FOR THEIR KING AND/ COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918, with the names of the 36 men who lost their lives. Below this is a slightly wider section, inscribed AND TO THOSE WHO FELL IN/ THE SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939-1945 and the names of the 21 men who died in that conflict. The whole stands on a narrow platform of three roughly-hewn granite steps.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Online Database, Lostwithiel WMO9300, accessed 23.01.2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/9300/
Notes on the war memorial, accessed 23.01.2018 from http://thebignote.com/2012/04/07/lostwithiel-war-memorial-garden-of-remembrance
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 28-Jun-2026 at 18:36:12.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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