Street War Memorial

Summary

A First World War memorial, designed by William Douglas Caröe FSA, erected in 1921 and moved in 2021.

Reasons for Designation

Street War Memorial, of 1921 by William Douglas Caroe, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact on the local community of the events of the First World War;
* as an example of the work of the architect William Douglas Caroe.

Architectural interest:

* the memorial is a dignified and sombre stone monument, neatly made and well-proportioned.

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 war memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Street as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Street War Memorial was designed by William Douglas Caröe and unveiled by the Marquis of Bath on 2 October 1921. It commemorates the 67 local servicemen who died during the conflict. It is understood that the memorial was originally erected at the junction of Vestry Road and Merriman Road before being moved to Merriman Garden Park, possibly in the 1970s; it was first listed in that location in 2018. In 2021, it was moved and re-erected in the south-east corner of the park with some repairs and other minor alterations.

Caröe had been appointed as an architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, becoming Senior Architect in 1895. A member of the Art Workers' Guild, he ran a very successful London practice, winning both ecclesiastical and secular commissions. In addition to architectural work, he also designed a number of important church monuments, including those to Archbishop Temple in Canterbury Cathedral, Bishop Owen in St David's Cathedral, Bishop Rudding in Southwell Cathedral, and Bishops Satterlee and Harding in Washington Cathedral, USA. A number of his war memorials have been listed at Grade II, including Haughton and Membury.

Details

A First World War memorial, designed by William Douglas Caröe FSA and erected in 1921.

MATERIALS: Ham Hill stone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands within Merriman Gardens Park in Street. It takes the form of a hooded Calvary which rises from a square plinth on a tapering octagonal shaft. The plinth sits on a three-stepped octagonal base with a raised octagonal kerb. It stands in the centre of an area paved in natural stone.

The inscription is located on the front face of the plinth in raised Gothic style lettering and reads TO THE/ GLORY OF/ GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THOSE WHO MADE THE/ SUPREME SACRIFICE 1914-18. The 67 names are incised into the rises of the stepped base.

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