Summary
First World War memorial in the churchyard of St Mary, Brading, erected in 1921, taking the form of a Calvary cross.
Reasons for Designation
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
The war memorial at Brading is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as a poignant reminder of the tragic impact of world events upon this island community.
Architectural interest:
* the memorial was designed by the architect and historian Percy Stone, whose career was devoted to the study and restoration of the island’s historic fabric;
* for its striking design, appropriate to the churchyard setting, taking the form of elegantly detailed Calvary cross in Portland stone, with deftly cut lettering.
Group value:
* with the Grade I listed medieval church of St Mary, and the churchyard which contains the base of the medieval cross fitted with a later sundial, listed at Grade II, and a large number of listed monuments; to the north is a gun shed, and to the west, the Old Town Hall, both probably C17 in origin, and both listed at Grade II; to the south is the Grade II listed C16 house, said originally to have been the rectory.
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 both of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities, 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.
Brading War Memorial, situated in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, was erected to commemorate the 32 men of the community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial was designed by local architect Percy Stone, and constructed by Messrs W and H Simmonds in connection with Mr T Jenkins of Newport. The memorial was dedicated by the Bishop of Southampton on 3 April 1921, following a service in the church, which proved too small to hold the numbers attending.
The architect and antiquarian Percy Goddard Stone (1856-1934) was born in London, the son of the architect Coutts Stone. He was articled to George Devey in 1875, and was briefly an assistant to his brother-in-law William (later Sir William) Emerson. He entered into partnership with his father in 1879, remaining in London until the late 1890s when he moved to the Isle of Wight.
Stone became the island’s historian, with a particular interest in Carisbrooke Castle, on which he undertook restorations under the patronage of Princess Beatrice, from around 1898. In 1904 the rebuilt Chapel of St Nicholas was dedicated as a memorial to Charles I. Stone completed the restoration in 1929, when it was rededicated as the County War Memorial. Stone’s other war memorials on the island include the Grade II listed memorials at Bembridge, Freshwater and Whitwell and those at Arreton, Whippingham and Sandown.
Following the Second World War a further inscription with the names of 17 who died in that conflict were added.
Details
First World War memorial, erected in 1921, taking the form of a Calvary cross. The memorial stands in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, to the south-west of the church.
MATERIALS: Portland stone.
DESCRIPTION: the tall tapered shaft is hollow-chamfered, the chamfers continuing into the head of the cross from a broached base. A figure of Christ on the south face of the cross is protected by a gabled canopy. The cross rises from a tapered plinth, which in turn sits on a base of three octagonal steps. The bottom step consists of rubble masonry blocks topped by Portland stone. The front face of the plinth bears the inscription, IN GRATEFUL/ MEMORY OF/ BRADING MEN/ WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES IN/ THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919, with the names recorded on the remaining sides of the plinth. Lettering added on the front face of the top step reads, AND IN THE/ WORLD WAR/ 1939-45, with the names of those lost during that conflict recorded on the three southern faces of the step below. The inscriptions are carved in relief within recessed panels.
