War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St Stephen

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled in 1920, with later additions following the Second World War and Falklands Conflict.

Reasons for Designation

The war memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St Stephen, Saltash, erected in 1920, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:
* the war memorial reflects the sacrifice made by the parish of Saltash during the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:
* the war memorial is well-executed in its design with a shaft, columns and a moulded cornice.

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 churchyard of the Church of St Stephen at St Stephen (also known as St Stephens), Saltash as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 36 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled on 7 August 1920 by Brigadier-General TC Porter CB (Companion of the Order of Bath). A further 30 names were added on the south side of the memorial to commemorate those who lost their lives in the Second World War, and following the Falklands Conflict one name was added to the north side of the memorial.

Details

First World War memorial, unveiled in 1920, with later additions following the Second World War and Falklands Conflict.

DESCRIPTION: The memorial is located in the north-west corner of the churchyard of the Grade I-listed Church of St Stephen, just within the St Stephen’s Hill entrance.

The memorial is of granite and takes the form of a square shaft surrounded by four rough-hewn columns with circular bases and capitals, topped with a square cornice and a short obelisk. It stands on a plain square foot and chamfered plinth rising from a three-stepped square base. The whole memorial stands on a semi-circular platform bounded by a low semi-circular wall with rounded coping which terminates in short square pillars at either end.

The names are in leaded lettering on the shaft, with further inscriptions on the foot and plinth. The inscription on the west face reads (NAMES) / TO THE HONOURED DEAD / 1914-1919 / YE THAT LIVE ON MID ENGLISH PASTURES GREEN / REMEMBER US AND THINK WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. The names of those who died in the Second World War are recorded on the south face which reads (NAMES) / 1939-1945 and the north face records FALKLANDS / 1982 (NAME).

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 7 March 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/241753/
War Memorials Register, accessed 7 March 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/73016
St Stephens by Saltash, accessed 7 March 2018 from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Par_new/q_s/stephen_saltash_st.php
Cornwall's War History Remembered, accessed 8 March 2018 from http://www.cornwallswarhistory.co.uk/maps/war-memorials-2/st-stephen-by-saltash/

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.

Print the official list entry