Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled in 1920, with Second World War additions.
Reasons for Designation
Stutton War Memorial, unveiled 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 impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20. Architectural interest: * as an accomplished and well-executed composition comprising a Celtic wheel-head cross of rough-hewn Cornish granite.
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 Stutton in Suffolk as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 16 members of the local community who fell in the conflict. It was unveiled on 22 May 1920 by Mrs Lorrimer Fison and dedicated by the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. Following the Second World War a dedication was added to commemorate the six parishioners who fell in that conflict. While the memorial was inscribed with dedicatory inscriptions for both World Wars, it did not, however, record the names of the men who died. The Parish Council rectified this in 2017 by placing a granite boulder inscribed with the men's names adjacent to the memorial. Its polished south face is inscribed with the names of the fallen from the two World Wars and reads: The Men of / STUTTON / who Fell in the Great War / 1914-1919 / [Names] / And in World War Two 1939-1945 / [Names]. Carved poppies at the bottom corners book end a verse from Laurence Binyon's poem 'For The Fallen' which reads: They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old / Age shall not weary them, nor years condemn. / At the going down of the sun and in the morning / WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
Details
First World War memorial, unveiled in 1920, with Second World War additions. A large boulder inscribed with the names of the fallen and placed alongside the memorial cross in 2017 is excluded from the listing. MATERIALS: of rough-hewn Cornish granite. DESCRIPTION: the memorial, which stands in a paved and hedged enclosure on the north side of Manningtree Road, takes the form of a Celtic wheel-head cross atop a tall shaft that tapers in rectangular section from a three-stepped octagonal base. Its head is carved with elaborate interlacing. The First World War dedication is in leaded lettering across three polished faces of the base's second step and reads: THIS CROSS IS ERECTED / TO COMMEMORATE / ALL THOSE WHO / WITH LOYAL HEARTS / LEFT THEIR HOMES / AND WENT FORTH / FROM THIS VILLAGE / TO FACE DEATH / AND ENDURE HARDSHIP / IN A RIGHTEOUS / CAUSE, / 1914-1919. The south face of the bottom step also bears the Second World War dedication which reads: ALSO THOSE WHO SERVED / 1939-1945'.
Sources
Websites Information on Stutton War Memorial from the Imperial War Museum's War Memorials Register, accessed 28 February 2020 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/4492 Other East Anglian Daily Times, 14 May 1920
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
The listed building(s) is/are shown coloured blue on the attached map. Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) structures attached to or within the curtilage of the listed building but not coloured blue on the map, are not to be treated as part of the listed building for the purposes of the Act. However, any works to these structures which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require Listed Building Consent (LBC) and this is a matter for the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to determine.
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