Westhorpe War Memorial

Overview

Location

Summary

First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Westhorpe War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Margaret, 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 calvary cross.

Group value:

* with the Church of St Margaret (Grade I), Fleurael Cottage (Grade II), the Old Rectory (Grade II) and a K6 telephone kiosk (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 in the churchyard at Westhorpe as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the ten members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial was unveiled on 18 April 1920 and dedicated by the Reverend C J Smith.

The names of the two parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.

Conservation of the memorial was carried out in 2015.

Details

First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

MATERIALS: Doulting stone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Margaret (Grade I), immediately outside the main southern entrance of the church. The memorial comprises a tall slender stone Latin calvary cross with a stone roof, to which is attached a bronze figurine of Christ crucified. The bronze figure was carried out by the Art and Book Company, London. The cross stands on a tall square plinth, atop a small square stone step and a larger octagonal stone base. Overall, the memorial stands around 3.3m high.

The main inscription is on the lower end of the cross shaft and reads: IN/ LOVING AND/ GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF/ with the names of the fallen being listed on the front face of the plinth. On the front face of the octagonal base is an inset stone bearing the inscription: REST ETERNAL GRANT TO THEM O LORD/ AND LET LIGHT PERPETUAL SHINE UPON THEM.

On the northern face of the plinth is the additional inscription: 1939 –1945/ (2 NAMES).

Sources

Websites
War Memorial Register, accessed 25 August 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/4882
War Memorials Online, accessed 25 August 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/233525/
Other
Westhorpe War Memorial, Suffolk Chronicle and Mercury, 23 April 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.