North Crawley War Memorial
c 35m north of St Firmin's Church, High Street, North Crawley, Milton Keynes, MK16 9LL
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1457906
- Date first listed:
- 29-Aug-2018
- List Entry Name:
- North Crawley War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- c 35m north of St Firmin's Church, High Street, North Crawley, Milton Keynes, MK16 9LL
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1457906
- Date first listed:
- 29-Aug-2018
- List Entry Name:
- North Crawley War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- c 35m north of St Firmin's Church, High Street, North Crawley, Milton Keynes, MK16 9LL
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:
- c 35m north of St Firmin's Church, High Street, North Crawley, Milton Keynes, MK16 9LL
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Milton Keynes (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- North Crawley
- National Grid Reference:
- SP9269244694
Summary
First World War memorial cross, with later additions for the Second World War
Reasons for Designation
North Crawley War Memorial, which stands outside St Firmin’s Church, 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 memorial cross.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Firmin (Grade I) and numerous Grade II-listed buildings in this area of the High 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 North Crawley as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 16 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The cross was in place by 1925, as shown on the Ordnance Survey 25” County Series map for Buckinghamshire published in that year. A photograph taken between 1925 and 1936 shows that the memorial was once enclosed by railings. Following the Second World War, the names of three men who died in that conflict were added to the memorial.
Details
The memorial stands outside the Church of St Firmin (Grade I-listed), on the southern side of the square off the High Street. The Portland stone memorial comprises a tall Latin cross standing on an octagonal base, raised on three octagonal steps. The area of the cross shaft just below the cross head, and the foot of the cross shaft, are decorated with blind Gothic arcading carved in low relief. White stone tablets have been added to each face of the base.
The inscription to the front (north) face reads IN/ PROUD AND AFFECTIONATE/ REMEMBRANCE OF/ THOSE MEN OF NORTH CRAWLEY/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918/ 1939-45 (3 NAMES). A further dedication to the rear face reads SONS OF THIS PEACE LET THIS/ OF YOU BE SAID/ THAT YOU WHO LIVE ARE/ WORTHY OF YOUR DEAD/ THESE GAVE THEIR LIVES THAT/ YOU WHO LIVE MAY REAP/ A RICHER HARVEST ERE/ YOU FALL ASLEEP. The names of those who died in the First World War are listed on the west and east faces.
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 29 April 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/8210
War Memorials Online, accessed 29 April 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/249911/
Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre - Kitchener Collection, accessed 17 August 2017 from www.mkcdc.org.uk/kitchener/object-details-page/280556/
Other
Ordnance Survey map, County Series 25" (1:2,500), Buckinghamshire (1925 Edn.)
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 29-Jun-2026 at 00:47:29.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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