Topsham War Memorial
Topsham War Memorial, Church of St Margaret, Fore Street, Topsham, Devon, EX3 0HN
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1462899
- Date first listed:
- 13-Mar-2019
- List Entry Name:
- Topsham War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Topsham War Memorial, Church of St Margaret, Fore Street, Topsham, Devon, EX3 0HN
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1462899
- Date first listed:
- 13-Mar-2019
- List Entry Name:
- Topsham War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Topsham War Memorial, Church of St Margaret, Fore Street, Topsham, Devon, EX3 0HN
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:
- Topsham War Memorial, Church of St Margaret, Fore Street, Topsham, Devon, EX3 0HN
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- Exeter (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SX9655988038
Summary
A First World War memorial, built 1920; altered after the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Topsham War Memorial, which stands in a prominent roadside location to the east of the Church of St Margaret, 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
* as a simple yet elegant example of a plain Latin cross type of memorial;
Group value
* with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Margaret.
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 750,000 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 Topsham, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 69 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The memorial was unveiled and dedicated on Sunday 28 November 1920 by the vicar, Reverend Guy Halliday. The cost of the memorial was approximately £200 which was met by public subscription.
The names of 23 parishioners who were lost during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Details
A First World War memorial, built 1920; altered after the Second World War.
MATERIALS: granite.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in a prominent roadside location to the east of the Church of St Margaret (Grade II*).
The memorial comprises a plain Latin cross with a gently tapering octagonal shaft on a three-tiered octagonal plinth and single-stepped octagonal base.
On the upper tier of the plinth around five sides are inscribed in leaded lettering the 69 names of the fallen. On the middle tier of the plinth is inscribed THEIR NAME/ LIVETH FOR/ EVERMORE; and on the lower tier of the plinth1914 – 1918. An additional inscription in leaded lettering has the names of the 23 who were lost in World War Two on the remaining faces of the upper tier of the plinth, with the dates 1939-1945 on the lower tier.
Sources
Websites
Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register - Topsham, accessed 06/02/2019 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/25421
War Memorials Online database - Topsham, accessed 06/02/2019 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/167190/
Heritage Gateway – Devon and Dartmoor HER number: MDV104714, accessed 22/02/2019 from http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?resourceID=104&uid=MDV104714
Other
‘Topsham War Memorial’, Western Times, Monday 29 November 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 03-Jun-2026 at 23:41:59.
Download a full scale map (PDF)© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900.© British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2026. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.
End of official list entry