Stiffkey War Memorial Cross

c20m west of the Village Hall, Church Street, Stiffkey, Norfolk, NR23 1QJ

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

First World War memorial cross, with later additions for the Second World War. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1457023
Date first listed:: 11-Jul-2018
List Entry Name:: Stiffkey War Memorial Cross
Statutory Address:: c20m west of the Village Hall, Church Street, Stiffkey, Norfolk, NR23 1QJ

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1457023
Date first listed:: 11-Jul-2018
List Entry Name:: Stiffkey War Memorial Cross
Statutory Address 1:: c20m west of the Village Hall, Church Street, Stiffkey, Norfolk, NR23 1QJ

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: c20m west of the Village Hall, Church Street, Stiffkey, Norfolk, NR23 1QJ

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Norfolk
District:: North Norfolk (District Authority)
Parish:: Stiffkey
National Grid Reference:: TF9722343073

Summary

First World War memorial cross, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Stiffkey War Memorial Cross, which stands on Church 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 conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* a simple yet poignant wheel-head cross in granite.

Group value:

* with numerous Grade II-listed buildings on the south side of Church Street.

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 Stiffkey as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by ten members of the local community who died in the First World War. Following the Second World War the names of four men who died in that conflict were added to the memorial.

Details

The grey granite war memorial is located on the north side of Church Street, to the west of the village hall (unlisted). It is prominently situated on the top of a bank within an enclosure, railed to the front and with a flint and brick wall to the rear. The enclosure is approached from the street by a rake of steps on the eastern side.

The memorial comprises a dressed (but not polished) wheel-head cross standing on a tapering plinth, with a single-stepped base on a concrete foundation. The plinth bears the inscriptions in applied metal lettering.

The principal dedicatory inscription reads IN HONOURED MEMORY/ OF THE STIFFKEY MEN/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (10 NAMES)/ LEST WE FORGET. The later Second World War inscription to the front face of the base reads 1939 – 1945/ (4 NAMES).

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 8 May 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/165001/
War Memorials Register, accessed 8 May 2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2807

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.