Delabole War Memorial

Delabole War Memorial, Junction of High Street and Atlantic Road, Delabole, Cornwall, PL33 9AJ

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Overview

A First World War memorial, unveiled 1922; altered after the Second World War.
Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1458265
Date first listed:
24-Jul-2018
List Entry Name:
Delabole War Memorial
Statutory Address:
Delabole War Memorial, Junction of High Street and Atlantic Road, Delabole, Cornwall, PL33 9AJ
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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1458265
Date first listed:
24-Jul-2018
List Entry Name:
Delabole War Memorial
Location Description:
NGR: SX0682383940
Statutory Address 1:
Delabole War Memorial, Junction of High Street and Atlantic Road, Delabole, Cornwall, PL33 9AJ

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
Delabole War Memorial, Junction of High Street and Atlantic Road, Delabole, Cornwall, PL33 9AJ

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

District:
Cornwall (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Delabole
National Grid Reference:
SX0682583939

Summary

A First World War memorial, unveiled 1922; altered after the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Delabole War Memorial 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:

* for its design, a well-executed Cross of Sacrifice.

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 750,000 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 Delabole, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 31 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Out of a population of 1,258, 309 men from Delabole served in the First World War. 31 were to not return. The war memorial was instigated by a Committee, and the scheme (including the garden in which the memorial stands) cost £250. The memorial and garden were unveiled on 11 February 1922 by Sir George Croydon Marks, MP for the Northern Division of Cornwall and who had served at the Ministry of Munitions in the War.

Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the men who fell in that conflict.

Details

A First World War memorial, unveiled 1922; altered after the Second World War.

MATERIALS: Granite.

DESCRIPTION: The memorial takes the form of a Cross of Sacrifice, with a relief-carved sword superimposed on the arms and shaft of a Celtic Cross. The cross stands on a tapering rough-hewn plinth, on a two-stepped platform surrounded by paving. The principal (east) face of the plinth is inscribed IN MEMORY OF DELABOLE MEN / WHO DIED FOR / GOD, KING AND COUNTRY / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1918, followed in lead lettering by the names of the 31 men who were lost in that War. A granite slab was added to the steps of the memorial after the Second World War, inscribed with the names of the nine men who fell in that conflict, under the dates 1939 – 1945.

The war memorial stands in an enclosed memorial park, in the heart of Delabole, raised above the main road. The park was built for the unveiling of the memorial, and has since been added to with various memorial plaques, including the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War, and a Millennium clock tower on the road edge.

Sources

Websites
Imperial War Museums War Memorials Register – Delabole, accessed 21 June 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/9242
Cornwall’s War History – Delabole, accessed 21 June 2018 from http://www.cornwallswarhistory.co.uk/maps/war-memorials-2/delabole/
Cornwall’s War History - Cornish & Devon Post 18th February 1922 - Delabole’s War Memorial, accessed 21 June 2018 from http://www.cornwallswarhistory.co.uk/places/delabole/
Heritage Gateway – HER entry for war memorial, accessed 21 June 2018 from http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCO56287&resourceID=1020
Heritage Gateway – HER entry for war memorial garden, accessed 21 June 2018 from http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCO56286&resourceID=1020

Other
Delabole's Tribute, Western Morning News, 13 February 1922

Legal

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

Ordnance survey map of Delabole War Memorial

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 23-Jun-2026 at 22:10:01.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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