Whitwick War Memorial
Churchyard of St John the Baptist, Junction of Church Lane and North Street, Whitwick, Leicestershire, LE67 5HA
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1464500
- Date first listed:
- 05-Aug-2019
- List Entry Name:
- Whitwick War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Churchyard of St John the Baptist, Junction of Church Lane and North Street, Whitwick, Leicestershire, LE67 5HA
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1464500
- Date first listed:
- 05-Aug-2019
- List Entry Name:
- Whitwick War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Churchyard of St John the Baptist, Junction of Church Lane and North Street, Whitwick, Leicestershire, LE67 5HA
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:
- Churchyard of St John the Baptist, Junction of Church Lane and North Street, Whitwick, Leicestershire, LE67 5HA
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Leicestershire
- District:
- North West Leicestershire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Whitwick
- National Grid Reference:
- SK4350816163
Summary
A war memorial of 1921 date constructed of granite.
Reasons for Designation
Whitwick War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* it is 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:
* it is a well-detailed war memorial in the form of a wheel cross.
Group value:
* it has group value with the Church of St John the Baptist (listed at Grade II*).
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, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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 Whitwick as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by a member of the local community who lost his life in the First World War. The memorial was designed by the vicar, the Reverend TW Walters, MA in 1921 and executed by Messrs Wells and Co, of Hugglescote, under the direction of the local war memorial committee. The memorial was unveiled on Saturday 5 November 1921 by General Sir Reginald Hoskins KCB CMG DSO (the general officer commanding the North Midland area) and dedicated by Lord Bishop of Peterborough.
The memorial was later altered to recognise the fallen in the Second World War. It commemorates 82 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and 31 men who fell in the Second World War.
Details
A war memorial of 1921 date.
MATERIALS: constructed of Cornish grey granite; Bronze; Granolithic concrete.
DESCRIPTION: comprising a wheel head cross on a three-tiered plinth with chamfered edges, on a six-stepped base, the upper five levels being octagonal in plan, the lowermost circular. The plinth bears the inscriptions in cast bronze plaques.
The inscriptions read: Plinth, 6, 3 & 12 o'clock faces. Upper tier : IN PROUD MEMORY OF / THE MEN OF WHITWICK / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN THE WAR / 1914 - 1918 Middle tier : (NAMES) Plinth, 6 o'clock face, lower tier only : THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR / EVERMORE Plinth, 9 o'clock faces. Upper tier : IN PROUD MEMORY OF / THE MEN OF WHITWICK / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN THE WAR / 1939 - 1945 Middle tier : (NAMES) On step riser faces, bottom to top : 1914 / 1915 / 1916 / 1917 / 1918.
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 20/08/2019
Sources
Websites
UK National Inventory of War Memorials - Whitwick, accessed 24 May 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/37868
War Memorials Online - Whitwick, accessed 24 May 2019 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/155595/
Memorial Cross, St John the Baptist Churchyard - Whitwick, accessed 24 May 2019 from http://www.leicestershirewarmemorials.co.uk/war/memorials/view/1241
Other
Drawings signed by Wells & Co and dated January 1921 (DE1760/76), Leicestershire Record Office
Faculty for erecting a granite cross in the churchyard (DE1760/65/8), Leicestershire Record Office
Invoice from Wells & Co dated November 1921 referring to a contract dated May 1921 (DE1760/75), Leicestershire Record Office
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 21-Jun-2026 at 20:10:27.
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.