Plungar War Memorial
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1467704
- Date first listed:
- 15-Jan-2020
- List Entry Name:
- Plungar War Memorial
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1467704
- Date first listed:
- 15-Jan-2020
- List Entry Name:
- Plungar War Memorial
- Location Description:
- At the corner of Frog Lane and Barkestone Lane.
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
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Leicestershire
- District:
- Melton (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Redmile
- National Grid Reference:
- SK7682833835
Summary
First World War memorial, erected in 1920, with Second World War additions.
Reasons for Designation
Plungar War Memorial, erected in 1920, with Second World War additions, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* as a simple but impressive and well executed obelisk.
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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Plungar in Leicestershire as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by seven local servicemen. It was unveiled and dedicated on 7 November 1920 by the local vicar, Reverend RT Seivewright.
Following the Second World War a further dedication was added to commemorate the single villager who fell in that conflict.
Details
First World War memorial, erected 1920, with Second World War additions.
MATERIALS: of limestone with a slate inscription panel.
DESCRIPTION: Plungar War Memorial stands in a prominent position within a roadside garden at the corner of Frog Lane and Barkestone Lane.
The memorial takes the form of a slender limestone obelisk that tapers in square section from a tall, three-stage, square plinth to a pyramidal top. The plinth stands on a three-stepped base of which the upper step is cruciform and the lower two steps octagonal. The south (front) face of the obelisk bears relief carvings of the Sword of Sacrifice along with the Latin word 'PAX' (meaning peace). The other faces contain incised Swords of Sacrifice.
The main dedicatory inscription is inscribed on an inset slate panel on the plinth's south face and reads 'IN PROUD MEMORY OF / THE MEN OF / PLUNGAR / WHO MADE THE / SUPREME SACRIFICE / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 - 19 / [Names]'. A further panel at the base of the plinth records the name of a single serviceman who died in the Second World War.
The middle step of the base is inscribed with the verse 'GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS' (John 15:13)
Sources
Websites
Information on Plungar War Memorial from the Imperial War Museum's War Memorials Register, accessed 01 November 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/14789
Information on Plungar War Memorial from Leicestershire County Council's War Memorials Project website, accessed 01 November 2019 from http://www.leicestershirewarmemorials.co.uk/war/memorials/view/912
Other
Grantham Journal, 13 November 1920, pp3
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 29-Jun-2026 at 02:01:58.
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.