Kingswood and Tadworth War Memorial

Church of St Andrew, Brighton Road, Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6QE

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

Overview

First World War memorial. Designed by Frederick Bligh Bond and unveiled in 1920. Names of the fallen of the Second World War subsequently added. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1457282
Date first listed:: 19-Jul-2018
List Entry Name:: Kingswood and Tadworth War Memorial
Statutory Address:: Church of St Andrew, Brighton Road, Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6QE

The Missing Pieces Project

Share your view of unique places.

Add your contribution

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.

Not all listed places are appearing on this map. We are investigating this issue and will have a fix in place as soon as we can. Updated: 13 February 2025.

There is a problem

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

Find out more about listing

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1457282
Date first listed:: 19-Jul-2018
List Entry Name:: Kingswood and Tadworth War Memorial
Statutory Address 1:: Church of St Andrew, Brighton Road, Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6QE

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:: Church of St Andrew, Brighton Road, Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6QE

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

County:: Surrey
District:: Reigate and Banstead (District Authority)
Parish:: Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:: TQ2420655551

Summary

First World War memorial. Designed by Frederick Bligh Bond and unveiled in 1920. Names of the fallen of the Second World War subsequently added.

Reasons for Designation

Kingswood and Tadworth war memorial, designed by Frederick Bligh Bond and unveiled in 1920, 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:

* as a well-executed example of one of the common forms of First World War memorials by a notable architect.

Group value:

* with the Grade II listed Church of St Andrew, Kingswood.

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.

Kingswood and Tadworth War Memorial was unveiled by Major Reginald Bonsor on 27 November 1920 and was designed by the noted architect and archaeologist Frederick Bligh Bond. The dates of the fallen of the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial. The memorial was restored in 2014.

Frederick Bligh Bond (1864-1945) was a noted West Country architect and archaeologist who specialised in ecclesiastical architecture and designed a number of war memorials. Those at Glastonbury, where he was Director of Excavations at Glastonbury Abbey, (Grade II, NHLE 1431598) and Nailsworth, Gloucestershire (Grade II, NHLE 1423693) have similarities with the Kingswood and Tadworth example. Bligh Bond became a somewhat controversial figure due to his involvement in psychical research.

Details

First World War memorial. Designed by Frederick Bligh Bond and unveiled in 1920. Names of the fallen of the Second World War subsequently added.

MATERIALS: Doulting limestone. DESCRIPTION: the memorial, which stands on the open space to the west of St Andrew's churchyard, takes the form of a Celtic cross with carved strap work decoration. The tapering, square-section shaft is set on an octagonal tapering plinth with a three tier octagonal base, later topped with stone slabs. The shaft carries a carved symbol showing two birds eating from the Tree of Life, representing the immortality of the soul. The dedication of the front of the plinth reads ‘1914-1918/ IN LASTING MEMORY OF THOSE WHO/ FOUGHT & DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY’. Above the inscription and on the other three principal sides of the plinth are recorded the 60 names of the fallen from the First World War. The two side faces bear the additional inscription ‘KINGSWOOD’ and ‘TADWORTH’. The rear face has the inscription ‘WE SHALL SERVE OUR GENERATIONS./ OUR REST WE EXPECT ELSEWHERE:/ THAT WILL BE DURABLE.’.

On the front face of the top tier of the base, the inscription reads: ‘1939-1945/ IN LASTING MEMORY OF THOSE/ WHO DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY’ with the names of the 62 fallen from the Second World War on the front faces of the upper two tiers.

Adjoining the rear of the memorial is a small paved area with the central stone bearing the inscription: IN MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF THE/ PRINCESS LOUISE FUSILIERS/ & 48TH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA/ WHO WERE STATIONED LOCALLY/ AND GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR OUR FREEDOM/ 1939-1945’.

Sources

Websites
Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register entry 23690 - Kingswood Parish Memorial Wheel Cross, accessed 16 May 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/23690
Surrey in the Great War: Kingswood, St Andrew's Church Parish Memorial Wheel Cross, accessed 16 May 2018 from http://www.surreyinthegreatwar.org.uk/collections/getrecord/SHMEM_W_M_41
War Memorials Online: Memorial 149972 - Kingswood, accessed 16 May 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/149972
Other
Surrey Mirror - Article on the dedication of the Kingswood and Tadworth War Memorial (3 December 1920)
Vestry and General Record Book of the Church of St Andrew, Kingswood - p.60

Legal

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