Derwent Woodlands War Memorial

Summary

A First World War memorial in the form of a wheel cross located in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, prominently sited alongside the access road to the Howden and Derwent Reservoirs.

Reasons for Designation

The Derwent Woodlands War Memorial in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* As an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* For its well-executed and sombre design which is fitting for a memorial structure, an attribute enhanced by the use of the local Derbyshire gritstone in its construction.

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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised in the village of Derwent, Derbyshire in the early 1920s as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the ten members of the local community, who lost their lives in the First World War. The village was later to be submerged by the Ladybower Reservoir, constructed in the Upper Derwent valley in the inter-war period, but, prior to the inundation, the memorial was dismantled c.1940, and relocated on a site by the new road on the western side of the valley, above the reservoir high water line.

Details

A First World War memorial located on the south-west side of the road immediately to the south-west of the Ladybower reservoir in the Upper Derwent Valley, Derbyshire.

MATERIALS: Ashlar and rock-faced gritstone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands on the south-west side of the road which runs alongside the Ladybower reservoir at SK18262 88300. It takes the form of a wheel-head cross supported by a tapered shaft, which stands on a deep plinth set on a three-stepped base. It stands within a paved surround with a boundary gravel path enclosed by low coursed squared gritstone walls with half-round copings and corner and intermediate gritstone piers with domed caps. An entrance in the north-east side of the enclosure is defined by stone gate piers and gives access to a paved approach to the memorial. The north-east face of the shaft carries an ashlar plaque bearing a dedication which reads 'IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF DERWENT - WOODLANDS WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918'. Below, a second plaque records the name, rank and regiment of each of the ten men who lost their lives in that conflict.

End of official list entry

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