Semer War Memorial
Churchyard of the Church of All Saints, Church Lane, Semer, Babergh, Suffolk, IP7 6JB
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1470258
- Date first listed:
- 04-Nov-2020
- List Entry Name:
- Semer War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Churchyard of the Church of All Saints, Church Lane, Semer, Babergh, Suffolk, IP7 6JB
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1470258
- Date first listed:
- 04-Nov-2020
- List Entry Name:
- Semer War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Churchyard of the Church of All Saints, Church Lane, Semer, Babergh, Suffolk, IP7 6JB
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 the Church of All Saints, Church Lane, Semer, Babergh, Suffolk, IP7 6JB
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Suffolk
- District:
- Babergh (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Semer
- National Grid Reference:
- TL9992546787
Summary
A First World War Memorial unveiled in 1920.
Reasons for Designation
Semer War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as a well-executed stone cross.
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the First World War.
Group value:
* with the Church of All Saints (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. 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 Semer as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial was unveiled on Sunday 27 June 1920 by Sir Courtenay Warner, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, and dedicated by the Reverend C L B Elliott, rector of Tattingstone.
Details
A First World War Memorial unveiled in 1920.
MATERIALS: the memorial is carved from Clipsham stone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in the churchyard, approximately 15m east of the Church of All Saints (Grade II). It is approximately 2.5m high and is set within a small, rectangular enclosure defined by low stone edging. The memorial comprises an unadorned Celtic wheel cross set on a trapezoidal pedestal above a single-stepped square plinth. The Christogram, ‘IHS’, is incised at the centre of the east face of the cross.
The inscription engraved on the east face of the pedestal reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND TO THE MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF SEMER/ WHO LOYALLY AND FAITHFULLY/ LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914–1918/ +/ GRANT UNTO THEM O LORD ETERNAL REST/ LIVE THOU FOR ENGLAND/ WE FOR ENGLAND DIED. Below, the inscription on the east face of the plinth reads: BE THOU FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH/ AND I WILL GIVE THEE THE CROWN OF LIFE.
The inscription on the west face reads: OH THE BEAUTY O THE GLADNESS/ OF THAT RESURRECTION DAY/ WHICH SHALL NOT THROUGH ENDLESS AGES/ PASS AWAY/ TO THAT BRIGHTEST OF ALL MEETINGS/ BRING US JESUS CHRIST AT LAST/ BY THE CROSS THROUGH DEATH AND JUDGEMENT/ HOLDING FAST.
The names and regiments of the five fallen are given on the north and south faces of the pedestal.
Sources
Websites
Imperial War Museum War Memorial Register, accessed 25 August 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/4476
Other
‘Semer Memorial Unveiled’, Suffolk and Essex Free Press, (30 June 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.
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 08:01:03.
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.