Gorton and Abbey Hey War Memorial
Junction of Constable and Lees Street, Gorton, Manchester, M18 8GY
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1460798
- Date first listed:
- 08-Nov-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Gorton and Abbey Hey War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Junction of Constable and Lees Street, Gorton, Manchester, M18 8GY
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1460798
- Date first listed:
- 08-Nov-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Gorton and Abbey Hey War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Junction of Constable and Lees Street, Gorton, Manchester, M18 8GY
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:
- Junction of Constable and Lees Street, Gorton, Manchester, M18 8GY
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Manchester (Metropolitan Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SJ8909296900
Summary
First World War memorial of about 1920 with Second World War dates added.
Reasons for Designation
Gorton and Abbey Hey War Memorial, a First World War memorial of about 1920 with Second World War dates added, 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 well-modelled granite form with details including intricate lettering and a Tudor crown finial.
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 Gorton, commemorating the 140 fallen of Gorton and Abbey Hey. It is not known when the memorial was erected, but it is first marked, in its current location, on the Ordnance Survey (OS) 1:2,500 map of 1935 (surveyed in 1933). The makers are thought to have been Lewis and Co. It is thought that the names inscribed on the base, which are in the same ornate lettering as those on the pillar, are those of First World War fallen which were initially omitted. This suggests that the memorial was erected in the early 1920s, when there was still some uncertainty about the final fate of some men. The alternative (that these are the names of the fallen of the Second World War) does not appear to be borne out by searches of service records for those names. The dates of the Second World War were added to the front of the plinth after 1945.
The war memorial is prominently sited at the junction of Lees Street and Constable Street in Gorton, adjacent to a small recreation ground.
Details
First World War memorial, about 1920, with Second World War dates added after 1945.
MATERIALS: pink granite.
PLAN: square.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial faces approximately north and stands approximately five metres tall. It comprises a square pillar with moulded base and capital, surmounted by a short circular column with a crown finial.
The finial is a Tudor crown, and sits atop a short, fluted column with a moulded capital and foot, on an octagonal base. Beneath this, the capital of the main pillar has a moulded cornice, with a semi-circular arch in the centre of the top, housing a laurel wreath. Above the frieze, the face of the cornice is inscribed: IN MEMORIAM. Below this the frieze has three triglyphs, with Lancashire roses between them. Below this the pillar is inscribed with the names of the fallen; on the north face there are 29. The names are listed alphabetically by surname and Christian name, with ranks and decorations included. The lettering is in a serifed, Gothic style and painted in gold.
The base to the pillar is two-stepped and moulded. The face of the upper step is inscribed: IN PROUD AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THOSE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR KING AND COUNTRY while the face of the lower step is inscribed: THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919/ 1939-1945. The chamfered top of the upper step is inscribed with an additional two names, while that of the lower step has a further four.
The other faces are of identical design. The right return (west) has 29 names on the face, with one on the upper step and four on the lower step. The face of the upper step is inscribed: THEIR BRIGHT SPIRITS STILL TENANT THE/ HEARTS OF THOSE WHO LOVED THEM and that of the lower step: VICTORY.
The rear (south) face has 30, 2 and 4 names, with the lower inscriptions reading: THEY PASSED OUT OF THE SIGHT OF MAN BY/ THE PATH OF DUTY AND SELF SACRIFICE and: LIBERTY. The left return (east) face has 29, 2 and 4 names, and inscriptions reading: LET THOSE WHO COME AFTER SEE TO IT THAT/ THESE NAMES BE NOT FORGOTTEN and: PEACE .
Thus, there are 117 names in total on the faces of the pillar, plus 23 on the base, totalling 140.
Sources
Websites
Imperial War Museums register, accessed 25/09/18 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/10715
War Memorials Online register, accessed 25/09/18 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/179684
Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society, accessed 25/09/18 from http://www.mlfhs.org.uk/data/war_memorials_images.php?memorial=170
Forces War Records, accessed 09/10/18 from https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/namesearch/?Surname=ollerenshaw&RecordType=Ww2&RecordDateStartYear=1939&RecordDateEndYear=1945&Step=1
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
The listed building is shown coloured blue on the attached map. Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) structures attached to or within the curtilage of the listed building but not coloured blue on the map, are not to be treated as part of the listed building for the purposes of the Act. However, any works to these structures which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require Listed Building Consent (LBC) and this is a matter for the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to determine.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 10-Jun-2026 at 13:06:15.
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.