Wrentham War Memorial
c22m south of St Nicholas's Church, The churchyard, Church Corner, Wrentham, Suffolk, NR34 7LD
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1458655
- Date first listed:
- 18-Sept-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Wrentham War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- c22m south of St Nicholas's Church, The churchyard, Church Corner, Wrentham, Suffolk, NR34 7LD
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1458655
- Date first listed:
- 18-Sept-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Wrentham War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- c22m south of St Nicholas's Church, The churchyard, Church Corner, Wrentham, Suffolk, NR34 7LD
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:
- c22m south of St Nicholas's Church, The churchyard, Church Corner, Wrentham, Suffolk, NR34 7LD
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Suffolk
- District:
- East Suffolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Wrentham
- National Grid Reference:
- TM4892982986
Summary
First World War memorial cross, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Wrentham War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard, 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 richly ornamented wheel-head cross in the Celtic style.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Nicholas (Grade I-listed) and the Rectory and Church Corner Cottage, Church Room, and Crossways Cottage (all 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 Wrentham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 29 members of the local community who died in the First World War. Following the Second World War the names of 11 men who died in that conflict were added to the memorial. The memorial was refurbished in 2014.
Details
The memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Nicholas (Grade I-listed) and in close proximity to the Grade II-listed Rectory and Church Corner Cottage, Church Room, and Crossways Cottage. It comprises a Celtic cross decorated with intricate interlace patterns carved in relief to the cross-head and cross-shaft. The cross stands on a tapering pedestal carved to look like a rocky outcrop, with a narrow cap and an inscription panel to the front and rear. It is carved from pale grey granite and stands approximately 2.7m high.
The principal dedicatory inscription, in applied metal lettering, reads THIS CROSS WAS ERECTED BY THE REV./ E.R. YERBURGH, RECTOR OF WRENTHAM,/ IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF WRENTHAM/ WHO DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918./ ARMY (18 NAMES) NAVY (8 NAMES). The inscription to the rear reads ARMY/ (3 NAMES)/ 1939-1945/ (11 NAMES).
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 3 August 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/5044
War Memorials Online, accessed 3 Augut 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/152345/
Wrentham Parish website, accessed 3 August 2017 from http://www.wrentham.org.uk/page36.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 17-Jun-2026 at 06:12:04.
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.