Colwall War Memorial
Church of St James the Great, Memorial Garden, Old Colwall, Colwall, Herefordshire
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1461608
- Date first listed:
- 19-Dec-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Colwall War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Church of St James the Great, Memorial Garden, Old Colwall, Colwall, Herefordshire
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1461608
- Date first listed:
- 19-Dec-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Colwall War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Church of St James the Great, Memorial Garden, Old Colwall, Colwall, Herefordshire
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:
- Church of St James the Great, Memorial Garden, Old Colwall, Colwall, Herefordshire
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- County of Herefordshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Colwall
- National Grid Reference:
- SO7393442270
Summary
A First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Colwall War Memorial 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 compositional design as an accomplished and well-realised calvary cross;
* for the sculptural interest of the figure of Christ and good-quality craftsmanship overall.
Group value:
* with the Church of St James (Grade II*) and several churchyard monuments (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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Colwall as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled on Sunday 12 December 1920. The costs of the memorial were met by public subscription and by income from the sale of the music for the hymn ‘O Valiant Hearts’, composed by the Rector of Colwall, Reverend Dr Charles Harris, whose son Noel is commemorated on this memorial.
The names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Conservation of the memorial was carried out in 2003 and 2004.
Details
A First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIAL: Portland stone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands within a memorial garden to the south-east of the Church of St James the Great (Grade II*). It comprises a three-stepped octagonal base, a pedestal, and a tapering octagonal shaft surmounted by a stone calvary cross with a pitched canopy. The memorial is set upon a square, concrete platform. At the foot of the shaft on its east face are the letters RIP.
The east face of the pedestal carries the inscription: HONOUR THE BRAVE/ WHO FROM THIS PARISH/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914–1918/ MADE THE SUPREME/ SACRIFICE FOR THEIR/ COUNTRY/ AND FOR HUMANITY.
The west face is inscribed: “ALL THEY HAD HOPED FOR/ ALL THEY HAD THEY GAVE TO/ SAVE MANKIND THEMSELVES/ THEY SCORNED TO SAVE.”/ GRANT THEM, O LORD/ ETERNAL REST AND LET/ LIGHT PERPETUAL SHINE/ UPON THEM.
The 49 names of the fallen are recorded on the six other faces of the pedestal.
A further inscription has been added to the upper section of the pedestal: (east face) 1939–1945; (west face) THEIR NAME LIVETH/FOR EVERMORE/ ECCLESIASTICUS XLIV.14. The names of 13 parishioners who died in the Second World War are inscribed on the six other faces.
Sources
Websites
Colwall War Memorial at the Church of Saint James the Great, Old Colwall, accessed 20 November 2018 from http://colwallchurch.org/churchyard/war_memorial/index.html
Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, accessed 20 November 2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/627
War Memorials Online database, accessed 20 November 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/121845/
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 15-Jun-2026 at 15:45:05.
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.