Wighton War Memorial
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1466179
- Date first listed:
- 11-Nov-2019
- Statutory Address:
- High Street, Junction of Kirkgate Lane, Wighton, Norfolk, NR23 1AL
Map
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Location
- Statutory Address:
- High Street, Junction of Kirkgate Lane, Wighton, Norfolk, NR23 1AL
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Norfolk
- District:
- North Norfolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Wighton
- National Grid Reference:
- TF9399039935
Summary
First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Wighton 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 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 stone cross.
Group value:
* it has group value with Hall Farmhouse and its walls and gateway (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. One such memorial was raised at Wighton in around 1920 as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 14 local servicemen who fell in the First World War. It is shown on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1928. The memorial was later altered to recognise the five men of this parish who fell in the Second World War.
The memorial stands on a triangular green where, in 1987, the remnant of a possible medieval wayside cross were recorded. The cross was damaged during a storm in the late C20, and repaired. In 2019 the memorial was cleaned and restored.
Details
First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIALS: constructed of stone with iron railings set within a concrete base.
DESCRIPTION: comprising an elaborate floriated cross with a diamond-shaped piercing through its centre, on a tapering four-sided shaft with a sword of sacrifice carved in relief to the front face. The shaft stands on a square plinth with a moulded cap and foot on a two-stepped base. The plinth bears inscriptions carved in relief and reads: IN MEMORY OF THOSE/ FROM THIS PARISH/ WHO FELL IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918// 1915/ (NAMES)// 1916 - 17/ (NAMES)// 1918/ (NAMES)// 1939 - 1945/ (NAMES).
The cross stands within an enclosure with decorative iron railings set in a concrete base.
Sources
Websites
Norfolk Heritage Explorer - Wighton, accessed 21/08/2019 from http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?uid=%27TNF1626
UK National Inventory of War Memorials - Wighton Cross, accessed 21/08/2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/20267
War Memorials Online - Wighton Cross, accessed 21/08/2019 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/218349/
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
End of official listing
