Stourport on Severn war memorials

Overview

Location

Summary

A First World War memorial, designed by The Bromsgrove Guild, erected in 1922; sundial added as Second World War memorial in 1954.

Reasons for Designation

Stourport on Severn war memorials, of 1922 and 1954, are listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the church’s community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* for their design, a well-executed brick and stone memorial by the Bromsgrove Guild, with a sundial on a pedestal added to commemorate those lost in the Second World War.

Group value:

* as two complementary war memorials forming a single ensemble, set deliberately together within the memorial gardens.

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 750,000 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 Stourport on Severn, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the men of the community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The war memorial, which was designed by members of the Bromsgrove Guild, was unveiled on 9 April 1922, in a ceremony attended by Admiral Cuming, DSO, CBE (1852-1940), a retired Admiral who was temporarily recommissioned as a Captain in the Royal Naval Reserve during the First World War.

After the Second World War, a new element was added to the memorial: a sundial on a stone pedestal, on which were inscribed the names of those who lost their lives in that conflict. It was unveiled on 5 September 1954. The gnomon was stolen from the dial in the 1950s and has not been replaced. A further name was added in 1982 to commemorate the loss of a local man in the Falklands Conflict.

Details

A First World War memorial, designed by The Bromsgrove Guild, erected in 1922; sundial added as Second World War memorial in 1954.

MATERIALS: First World War Memorial: Portland stone and red brick. Second World War Memorial: York stone.

DESCRIPTION: The First World War memorial takes the form of a series of stone tablets set into recessed panels in a red brick wall, the whole about 1.8m high and 2.9m wide. The upper tablet is inscribed TO THE GLORIOUS DEAD. Below, a shallower tablet reads 1914 – 1918. The larger part of the wall is taken up with the roll of honour, with the names of the 113 men of the community who lost their lives incised into stone tablets in five columns, below a relief-carved urn within a wreath, with ribbons. The memorial is approached by three shallow, paved steps.

The Second World War memorial, which stands a short distance to the south-east of the First World War memorial within a unifying paved feature, is a plain, square-section plinth with moulded cap and foot, set on two octagonal steps. The gnomon to the surmounting sundial is lost. The inscriptions are picked out in black lettering TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE OF/ STOURPORT ON SEVERN/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ DURING WORLD WAR/ 1939 - 1945/ The names of the 34 men who died are inscribed on the sides of the plinth. The additional inscription reads 1982/ FALKLANDS CAMPAIGN/ with the name of the serviceman who was killed in that conflict.

Sources

Websites
Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register: Stourport On Severn WW1 Memorial, accessed 30 July 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/33267
Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register: Stourport On Severn WW2 Memorial, accessed 30 July 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/37885
War Memorials Online Database, Stourport on Severn WWI – WMO231764, accessed 30 July 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/231764/
War Memorials Online Database, Stourport on Severn WWII – WMO201751, accessed 30 July 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/201751/

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.