Goldington War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial cross, unveiled 1919, with later additions.

Reasons for Designation

Goldington War Memorial, which stands on Goldington Green, 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:

* an imposing war memorial cross in Portland stone, designed by Kensington Gammel ARIBA.

Group value:

* with Goldington Hall (Grade II-listed).

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 Goldington as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 34 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial, the funds for which were raised by public subscription, was designed by Mr K Gammell and unveiled on 27 December 1919 by the Reverend FR Dunne. Following the end of the Second World War the names of 17 service personnel who died in that conflict were added to the memorial, including Janice Harrington, a flight engineer in the Air Transport Auxiliary, who died in 1944 when her aircraft crashed.

The name of one soldier who died in Northern Ireland in 1981 has been added to the memorial, listed with the First World War names.

The memorial originally stood on a concrete base which was sloped to discourage cattle, but was not enclosed.

Kensington Gammell ARIBA (fl. 1890-1914) commenced his independent architectural practice in 1898. He had been articled to SJ Wilde (Weston-Super- Mare, 1890-1894), and was Assistant to WV Gough (1894-1896), LJ Phipps (1896-1897), and IS Price (1897-1898). During the early-twentieth century he was based in Bedford and became ARIBA in 1901. He also designed Stagsden War Memorial.

Details

The c4.5m tall Portland stone memorial cross stands on the south side of Goldington Green, opposite Goldington Green Lower School (unlisted), and c170m south-east of Goldington Hall (Grade II-listed). It takes the form of a Latin cross with a tapering shaft, rising from a tapering pedestal.

The front (south) face of the cross-head bears the inscription 1914/ IN MEMORIAM/ 1919 carved in relief. A large bronze wreath is fixed to the front of the cross-head. Names are listed in recessed panels at the foot of the cross-shaft to the east, south, and west faces. Set within a recessed panel on the south face of the pedestal is the inscription 1939 – 1945/ (17 NAMES).

The memorial stands on a raised paved platform enclosed by a low wall and with shallow steps to the south providing access to the cross.

Sources

Books and journals
Felstead, A, Directory of British Architects 1834 to 1914 Volume 1 A-K, (2001)

Websites
Roll of Honour - Bedfordshire, Goldington, accessed 17 August 2017 from www.roll-of-honour.com/Bedfordshire/GoldingtonRollofHonour.html
War Memorials Register, accessed 19 June 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1723

Other
“Goldington War Memorial”, Bedfordshire Times and Independent, 2 January 1920, p5.

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