Thurston War Memorial
Churchyard of the Church of St Peter, Church Road, Thurston, Suffolk, IP31 3RU
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1458772
- Date first listed:
- 12-Sept-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Thurston War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Churchyard of the Church of St Peter, Church Road, Thurston, Suffolk, IP31 3RU
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1458772
- Date first listed:
- 12-Sept-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Thurston War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Churchyard of the Church of St Peter, Church Road, Thurston, Suffolk, IP31 3RU
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 Peter, Church Road, Thurston, Suffolk, IP31 3RU
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Suffolk
- District:
- Mid Suffolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Thurston
- National Grid Reference:
- TL9286565259
Summary
First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Thurston War Memorial, which stands in a prominent position on the western boundary of the churchyard of the Church of St Peter (Grade II) and facing Church Road, 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 wheel-head cross with carved decorative details.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Peter (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 Thurston 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 A H Hanchet (builder) of Bury St Edmunds and unveiled on Sunday 21 November 1920 by Major E E Pearson.
The names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Details
First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIALS: Forest of Dean stone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in a prominent position on the western boundary of the churchyard of the Church of St Peter (Grade II) and facing Church Road. The memorial comprises a Celtic wheel-head cross with tapering shaft on a square two-stepped plinth with a single-stepped base. The arms of the cross are decorated with relief-carved interlace. The memorial is carved from blue Forest of Dean stone and it stands approximately 2.7m high.
The main inscription in incised and black-painted lettering on the lower step of the plinth reads: (west face) “THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE”/ 1914/ (1 NAME)/ 1915/ (2 NAMES) (north face) 1916/ (3 NAMES)/ 1917/ (1 NAME)/ (south face) 1918/ (5 NAMES) (east face) 1919/ (1 NAME)/ ERECTED IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF THURSTON/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY.
An additional inscription on the west face of the cross shaft reads: IN/ MEMORY/ OF/ THOSE WHO/ GAVE THEIR/ LIVES DURING/ 1939 – 1945. Nine further names are incised on the upper step of the plinth.
Sources
Websites
War Memorial Register, accessed 27 July 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/4867
War Memorials Online, accessed 27 July 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/135755/
Other
‘Thurston’s Memorial to the Fallen, Bury Free Press, Sunday 27 November 1920
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 06-Jun-2026 at 08:27:12.
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.