Distington War Memorial
Main Street, Distington, Cumbria, CA14 5XP
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1454267
- Date first listed:
- 15-Mar-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Distington War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Main Street, Distington, Cumbria, CA14 5XP
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
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 |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1454267
- Date first listed:
- 15-Mar-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Distington War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Main Street, Distington, Cumbria, CA14 5XP
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:
- Main Street, Distington, Cumbria, CA14 5XP
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Cumberland (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Distington
- National Grid Reference:
- NY0052822953
Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled 16 April 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Distington 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 memorial in the form of a granite obelisk bearing a sword carved in relief.
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 in the village of Distington as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Distington War Memorial commemorates the Fallen of Distington, Pica, Winscales and Dyonside. The memorial commemorates 53 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and 21 men who fell in the Second World War.
The monument was made by Messrs Beattie and Co and cost around £420, paid for by public subscription, and was unveiled on 16 April 1921 by Major C A Valentine TD, of Ellerkeld, Workington, and dedicated by the Reverend T Foster Edwards.
The memorial was restored in 1992 and was moved a short distance from its original location in 2001 due to road improvements.
Details
First World War memorial, 1921, with Second World War additions.
MATERIALS: grey granite
DESCRIPTION: Distington War Memorial is located in Main Street, Distington, Cumbria. It is prominently situated by the west side of Main Street near to the southern junction with the B5306, close to Beck Green. It comprises a silver grey granite obelisk with a moulded foot incorporating carved swags, set upon a tall four-sided plinth with a deep cornice and a two-tiered moulded foot that includes a relief-carved sheathed sword to the south face. The whole stands upon a three-tiered square base. The plinth bears the inscriptions in leaded lettering and includes the regiment or service of those commemorated.
The inscription reads: South Face: ERECTED BY THE INHABITANTS OF/ THIS PARISH TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ (NAMES)/ "SALUTE THE GLORIOUS DEAD WHO/ WENT OUT AND RETURNED NOT"/ 1914-1918// (NAMES)/ West Face: (NAMES)/ North Face: (NAMES)/ East Face: IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO/ PAID THE SUPREME SACRIFICE/ 1939-1945/ (NAMES)
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 26 January 2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/4031
War Memorials Online, accessed 26 January 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/169600/
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 10-Jun-2026 at 21:05:01.
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.