Knodishall War Memorial
Churchyard of the Church of St Lawrence, Church Road, Knodishall, Suffolk, IP17 1TW
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1458639
- Date first listed:
- 12-Sept-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Knodishall War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Churchyard of the Church of St Lawrence, Church Road, Knodishall, Suffolk, IP17 1TW
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1458639
- Date first listed:
- 12-Sept-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Knodishall War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Churchyard of the Church of St Lawrence, Church Road, Knodishall, Suffolk, IP17 1TW
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:
- Churchyard of the Church of St Lawrence, Church Road, Knodishall, Suffolk, IP17 1TW
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Suffolk
- District:
- East Suffolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Knodishall
- National Grid Reference:
- TM4257261946
Summary
First World War memorial, 1919, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Knodishall War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Lawrence, 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 an elegant and well-executed granite obelisk.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Lawrence (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 Knodishall as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was erected by Mr E E Saunders (builder) of Ipswich, who erected many other war memorials in nearby parishes. The memorial was unveiled on 26 October 1919.
The names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Details
First World War memorial, 1919, with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIALS: polished granite.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in the churchyard, close to the Church of St Lawrence (Grade II*).
The memorial comprises a polished granite obelisk on a square plinth with a two-stepped square base. It stands approximately 2.4m high.
The main inscription in incised and black-painted lettering on the west face of the plinth reads: IN MEMORY OF/ THE BRAVE MEN/ OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN/ THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY/ DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.
The names of the fallen are incised on the south and north faces of the plinth.
A further inscription on the upper step of the base reads: WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945/ (4 NAMES) .
Sources
Websites
War Memorial Register, accessed 25 July 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/5520
War Memorials Online, accessed 25 July 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/235276/
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 24-Jun-2026 at 22:19:47.
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.