Hilgay War Memorial

junction of Church Road and High Street, Hilgay, Downham Market, PE38 0JL

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

First World War memorial, unveiled around 1920, with Second World War additions. It was restored in 2021. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1476134
Date first listed:: 17-Sep-2021
List Entry Name:: Hilgay War Memorial
Statutory Address:: junction of Church Road and High Street, Hilgay, Downham Market, PE38 0JL

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1476134
Date first listed:: 17-Sep-2021
List Entry Name:: Hilgay War Memorial
Location Description:
Statutory Address 1:: junction of Church Road and High Street, Hilgay, Downham Market, PE38 0JL

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: junction of Church Road and High Street, Hilgay, Downham Market, PE38 0JL

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Norfolk
District:: King's Lynn and West Norfolk (District Authority)
Parish:: Hilgay
National Grid Reference:: TL6209498318

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled around 1920, with Second World War additions. It was restored in 2021.

Reasons for Designation

Hilgay War Memorial, unveiled around 1920, with Second World War additions, restored in 2021, 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 in made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* as an accomplished and well-executed Latin cross.

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 the junction of Church Road, High Street and Ely Road in Hilgay as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 38 local men who lost their lives during the conflict. Following the Second World War a dedication was added to commemorate the eight servicemen who died in that conflict. In the late-C20 the worn inscriptions on the base were covered with new inscription plaques.

In April 2009 a memorial to the aircrew who died when their aircraft crashed in the parish of Hilgay during the Second World War was unveiled adjacent to the First World War memorial. Its relatively recent date, however, precludes it from this listing.

In 2021, the memorial was restored by Fairhaven Stone Ltd, with new kerbstones, fence posts and chain link fence installed to the gravelled enclosure within which it stands.

Details

First World War memorial, unveiled around 1920, with Second World War additions. It was restored in 2021.

The kerbstones, fence posts and chain link fence that form the enclosure within which the memorial stands date from 2021 and are thus excluded from the listing. Also excluded is the free-standing memorial plaque which was erected in 2009 to commemorate the aircrews who died when their aircraft crashed in Hilgay during the Second World War.

MATERIALS: stone.

PLAN: it is octagonal on plan.

DESCRIPTION: the war memorial, which stands in a prominent position within a triangular-shaped grassed area at the junction of Church Road and High Street, takes the form of a simple Latin cross which rises from a moulded knop at the top of a tapering octagonal shaft. The shaft stands on a square plinth which in turn stands on a three-stepped octagonal base. The whole stands within an early-C21 octagonal gravelled enclosure bounded by kerb stones and fence posts, the latter supporting a contemporary chain link fence.

The First Word War dedicatory inscription is carved on a modern plaque on the west side of the plinth and reads: This Cross was erected/ in honour of the men of / Hilgay who gave their / lives for their King and / Country in the Great War / 1914 - 1919.' Modern black plaques on the north, south and west sides bear the names of the men who died.

The Second World War dedication is found on the memorial's base and includes the dates '1939 - 1945' carved in shallow relief on the west face of the top step while the names of the men who died are inscribed on the north-west and south-west faces of the middle step.

Sources

Websites
Information on Hilgay War Memorial from the Imperial War Museum's War Memorials Register, accessed 19 July 2021 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/53407
Information on Hilgay War Memorial from the War Memorials Online website , accessed 19 July 2021 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/255929/

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.