Hever War Memorial

Summary

A First World War memorial, unveiled 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Hever War Memorial, Kent 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:

* it has an elegant design with a well-carved wheel-cross and shaft.

Group value:

* with the Church of St Peter (listed Grade I) and Hever Castle park and garden (registered Grade I).

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 at Hever as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by nine members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Hever War Memorial was designed and built by A Burslem and Son. The design of the base was originally envisioned to provide seating around the memorial; however, the completed structure did not include seating. It was unveiled on 4 July 1920 by John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever, who resided at Hever Castle, and was dedicated by the Reverend RC Lathom Browne, rector of the parish. Following the Second World War, the names of six fallen from that conflict were added to the memorial.

A Burslem and Son (founded in 1853) were memorial masons based in Tunbridge Wells. They were responsible for working on a number of war memorials in the south-east of England, including at Carshalton, Wadhurst and Speldhurst (all Grade II).

Details

A First World War memorial, unveiled 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

MATERIAL: Red-Hollington stone

DESCRIPTION: Hever War Memorial is located within the grounds of the Church of St Peter (Grade I), in the north-west corner of the churchyard. It is to the north of the Church Cottage and Ghyll Cottage (Grade II).

The memorial takes the form of a wheel cross, with foliate-decoration carving on the cross head, which surmounts a tapering shaft. The cross shaft rises from a two-stepped plinth, the upper step of which is square on plan and the lower octagonal on plan. The memorial is set on an octagonal base.

The north face of the upper step of the plinth bears the inscription TO/ OUR GLORIOUS DEAD/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 -1918. The names of nine fallen from that conflict are incised on the east and west faces. The north face of the lower step of the plinth is incised 1939 – 1945 with the names of the six fallen recorded on the north-east and north-west faces.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, Hever War Memorial, accessed 11 June 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/54521
War Memorials Online, Hever War Memorial, accessed 11 June 2019 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/71075/

Other
“Hever War Memorial”, Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser, 9 July 1920, 3
“Hever War Memorial”, Kent and Sussex Courier, (9 July 1920), 3

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.

Print the official list entry