Birley War Memorial
St Peter's Churchyardl, Birley, Herefordshire, HR4 8ET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1462970
- Date first listed:
- 05-Mar-2019
- List Entry Name:
- Birley War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- St Peter's Churchyardl, Birley, Herefordshire, HR4 8ET
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1462970
- Date first listed:
- 05-Mar-2019
- List Entry Name:
- Birley War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- St Peter's Churchyardl, Birley, Herefordshire, HR4 8ET
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:
- St Peter's Churchyardl, Birley, Herefordshire, HR4 8ET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- County of Herefordshire (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Birley with Upper Hill
- National Grid Reference:
- SO4536853318
Summary
A First World War memorial, erected in about 1920.
Reasons for Designation
Birley 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 church’s community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* for its design, a well-executed stone cross with good inscriptions.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Peter (Grade I), in whose churchyard it stands.
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 Birley as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by two members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Details
A First World War memorial, erected in about 1920.
MATERIALS
Stone.
DESCRIPTION
The memorial comprises a Latin cross with cusped arms on a gently tapering octagonal shaft, standing on a substantial tapering square-section plinth, on a single-stepped platform.
The main inscription reads: THIS MEMORIAL CROSS/ WAS ERECTED BY/ THE PARISHIONERS/ IN SORROW AND PRIDE/ A GRATEFUL TRIBUTE TO/ (2 NAMES)/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914–1919.
Sources
Websites
Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register: Birley Cross War Memorial, accessed 06.02.2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/32218
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 11:07:42.
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.