Bawdsey War Memorial
Recreation Ground, The Street, Bawdsey, Suffolk, IP12 3AJ
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1458472
- Date first listed:
- 12-Sept-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Bawdsey War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Recreation Ground, The Street, Bawdsey, Suffolk, IP12 3AJ
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
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 |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1458472
- Date first listed:
- 12-Sept-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Bawdsey War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Recreation Ground, The Street, Bawdsey, Suffolk, IP12 3AJ
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:
- Recreation Ground, The Street, Bawdsey, Suffolk, IP12 3AJ
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Suffolk
- District:
- East Suffolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Bawdsey
- National Grid Reference:
- TM3472240113
Summary
First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Bawdsey War Memorial, which stands at the entrance to the recreation ground, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* as a well-executed example of an obelisk memorial.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Mary (Grade II*).
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 Bawdsey as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 14 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was erected by Messrs W Wright and Sons (builders). The site was given by Sir Cuthbert Quilter who also sponsored the memorial. He was the owner of Bawdsey Manor, and his son John had been killed in the war.
The memorial was unveiled on Saturday 4 December 1920. The names of the two parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
The memorial was cleaned and repaired in 2018.
Details
First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in a prominent location at the entrance to the recreation ground, directly opposite the Church of St Mary (Grade II*). The memorial comprises a tapering stone obelisk on a two-stepped square base.
The main inscription on the west face of the obelisk reads: TO THE/ GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF BAWDSEY/ WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (14 NAMES).
An additional inscription on the south face of the obelisk reads: THE/ SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945/ IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF TWO BAWDSEY MEN/ WHO GLORIFIED GOD IN/ HIS PROVIDENTIAL DESIGNS/ FOR THE OVERTHROW OF/ EVIL BY PLAYING THEIR/ PART AND GIVING THEIR LIVES/ (2 NAMES).
Sources
Websites
War Memorial Register, accessed 23 August 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/5423
War Memorials Online, accessed 23 August 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/122401
Roll of Honour, accessed 23 August 2017 from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Suffolk/BawdseyRecreation.html
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 12-Jun-2026 at 10:37:38.
Download a full scale map (PDF)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.