Whitchurch War Memorial
Churchyard of the Church of St Andrew, Church Hill, Whitchurch, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 9ED
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1459652
- Date first listed:
- 23-Jan-2019
- List Entry Name:
- Whitchurch War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Churchyard of the Church of St Andrew, Church Hill, Whitchurch, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 9ED
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1459652
- Date first listed:
- 23-Jan-2019
- List Entry Name:
- Whitchurch War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Churchyard of the Church of St Andrew, Church Hill, Whitchurch, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 9ED
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 Andrew, Church Hill, Whitchurch, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 9ED
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- West Devon (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Tavistock
- National Grid Reference:
- SX4932272710
Summary
First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Whitchurch War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Andrew, 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 granite cross with relief-carved details.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Andrew (Grade I).
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 Whitchurch as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 20 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The names of the 10 parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Details
First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIALS: rough-hewn granite.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in a prominent location at the eastern edge of the churchyard of the Church of St Andrew (Grade I). The existing churchyard wall and bank have been cut away at this location and replaced with railings to allow clear views of the memorial.
The memorial is 3.3m high and comprises a short, rough-hewn granite Latin cross set atop a tall, tapering plinth. The whole memorial stands on a shallow, square, three-stepped base. The front (eastern) face of the cross is decorated with a relief-carved IHS Christogram.
The main inscription is on a smoothed granite area of the eastern face of the plinth in leaded lettering and reads: TO THE UNDYING MEMORY OF OUR/ BRAVE WHITCHURCH PARISHIONERS/ WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (20 NAMES).
On the eastern face of the upper step of the base is the additional inscription 1939 (COLUMN OF 5 NAMES) (COLUMN OF 5 NAMES) 1945.
Sources
Websites
War Memorial Register, accessed 8 November 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/45910
War Memorials Online, accessed 8 November 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/78985
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 09-Jun-2026 at 22:13:39.
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.