Parish of Ellel War Memorial, Galgate

Summary

First World War memorial of 1921, with names added after the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

The Parish of Ellel War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of St John the Baptist in Galgate, 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:

* for its good quality Gothic revival design which complements elements of the church.

Group value:

* with the Grade II-listed Church of St John the Baptist (National Heritage List for England 1164327).

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, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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 erected in Galgate, commemorating the fallen of the parish of Ellel. It is believed to have had its foundation stone laid in October 1920, and to have been unveiled on 21 October 1921 (IWM), but no details of the ceremony have been found. It is believed that the names inscribed on the base are those of Second World War fallen, added along with the dates of that war after 1945. At the time of inspection (2017) power-washing had begun to erode the inscriptions, in particular those on the base.

The memorial is prominently sited in the churchyard at the west end of the church, facing west.

Details

First World War memorial of 1921, with Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: grey sandstone.

PLAN: square.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a cross with shaft and rectangular plinth, on a square three-stepped base. The cross is an ornate Gothic wheelhead design. The three upper arms are hollow-chamfered and stopped, with domed pyramidal finials, while the bottom arm is chamfered with no stops, to an octagonal foot. The arms are linked by cusped sections, chamfered on the inner half and recalling the tracery of the West window behind. In the centre of the cross is a large Lancashire rose in deep relief. Beneath the foot is a square shaft with flat chamfers, which rises from a pylon-like plinth. The chamfers return to the left and right along the shoulders of the plinth but here are hollow, and are surmounted by tapering, buttress-like finials. The plinth is slightly-tapering and flares at its foot. The front face is inscribed in relief within inset labels:

1914 – 1919/ IN MEMORY OF/ THE MEN WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY,/ ESPECIALLY THOSE/ OF THIS PARISH,/ AND IN GRATITUDE/ FOR THE SAFE/ RETURN OF/ THEIR COMRADES/ 1939 – 1945

The design is the same to the rear (east) face, but here the plinth is inscribed with the names of the 20 men who fell in the First World War, possibly in the order of their deaths as they are not alphabetical and no ranks are given. The left and right returns are approximately half the width of the front and rear faces.

The upper step of the base is inscribed with names on its north (three), east (four) and south (three) faces.

Sources

Books and journals
Brandwood, G, The Architecture of Sharpe, Paley and Austin, (2012)

Websites
Imperial War Musuems War Memorials Register, accessed 26/09/18 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/554
War Memorials Online, accessed 26/09/18 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/169016
Roll of Honour war memorials register, accessed 26/09/18 from https://www.roll-of-honour.com/Lancashire/Ellel.html

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