Sheepstor War Memorial
Church of St Leonard, Sheepstor, Devon, PL20 6PF
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1462644
- Date first listed:
- 21-Feb-2019
- List Entry Name:
- Sheepstor War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Church of St Leonard, Sheepstor, Devon, PL20 6PF
Have you got a photo to share?
Join the Missing Pieces Project. We want you to share your photos and memories.
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1462644
- Date first listed:
- 21-Feb-2019
- List Entry Name:
- Sheepstor War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Church of St Leonard, Sheepstor, Devon, PL20 6PF
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 Leonard, Sheepstor, Devon, PL20 6PF
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- West Devon (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Sheepstor
- National Park:
- Dartmoor
- National Grid Reference:
- SX5600067643
Summary
A First World War memorial, unveiled in 1920 and altered following the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Sheepstor War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* it is a dignified and sombre stone cross, neatly made and well-proportioned.
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact on the local community of the events of the First World War.
Group value:
* it has good group value with other nearby listed buildings, including the Grade I-listed church and the Grade II-listed Lych Gate.
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 Sheepstor as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The memorial was unveiled on Wednesday 29 September 1920 by Lady Albertha Lopes and dedicated by the Archdeacon of Plymouth. It was paid for by public subscription. The granite from which the cross and base are made was quarried in Sheepstor and was given by Mrs John Bayly, and the steps were given by Miss Bayly of Yelverton.
The names of two parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Details
A First World War memorial, unveiled in 1920 and altered following the Second World War.
MATERIALS: the memorial is made of granite quarried within Sheepstor parish with slate panels.
PLAN: the memorial stands in the churchyard at St Leonard's Church, a short distance from the Andrew headstone and the Brooke monuments.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a rough-hewn plain Latin cross on a tapering square plinth with a two-stepped square base. It is carved from pale grey granite.
The main inscription is in incised lettering on a recessed slate panel on the eastern face of the plinth, and reads:
IN/ GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ (NAMES)/ OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR KING AND/ COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-19/ GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS THAT/ A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS/ ST JOHN 15 V. 13
A further inscription in incised letter on a recessed slate panel on the western face of the plinth reads:
1939 - 1945/ (NAMES)/ OF THIS PARISH.
Sources
Websites
Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, accessed 9.11.2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2923
War Memorials Online database, accessed 9.11.2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/
Other
'Sheepstor War Memorial', Western Daily News, 2.10.1920
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 23-Jun-2026 at 06:48:37.
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.