Little Barford War Memorial
Churchyard of St Denys Church, Little Barford, St Neots, Beds, PE19 6YE
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1484690
- Date first listed:
- 08-Feb-2023
- List Entry Name:
- Little Barford War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- Churchyard of St Denys Church, Little Barford, St Neots, Beds, PE19 6YE
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:
- 1484690
- Date first listed:
- 08-Feb-2023
- List Entry Name:
- Little Barford War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- Churchyard of St Denys Church, Little Barford, St Neots, Beds, PE19 6YE
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 St Denys Church, Little Barford, St Neots, Beds, PE19 6YE
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Bedford (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Little Barford
- National Grid Reference:
- TL1777756950
Summary
A First World War memorial probably dedicated in the 1920s.
Reasons for Designation
Little Barford 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
* as a good example of memorial design incorporating a decorated cross fleury giving it added design interest.
Group value
* it shares a functional relationship with the parish Church of St Denys, Little Barford.
History
The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Previously, memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, the first major war following reforms to the British Army which led to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However, it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
It is not known precisely when this memorial was constructed, though it was probably in the early 1920s. It commemorates seven individuals from the parish of Little Barford who lost their lives in the First World War. The name of the designer of the memorial is not known. The memorial is situated in the north-east corner of the churchyard of the parish Church of St Denys (listed Grade II*, NHLE 1114892). Inside the church is a timber plaque with a Roll of Honour commemorating all 28 men from the parish who served during the First World War.
Details
MATERIALS: Portland stone.
DESCRIPTION: The memorial sits in the north-east part of the churchyard of the parish Church of St Denys, close to the entrance. It takes the form of a cross fleury with a roundel at the centre and raised decorative bands on both faces which is mounted on a short tapering shaft on a square-plan plinth of two tiers set on a base.
There are inscriptions on the north-east face of the base and both tiers of the plinth. On the upper tier is inscribed ‘IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS/ PARISH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919.’ Below this are inscribed the names of seven men who lost their lives in the First World War and on the base is inscribed ‘LIVE THOU FOR ENGLAND, WE FOR ENGLAND DIED’.
Sources
Websites
UK Inventory of War Memorials, accessed 3rd October 2022 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/7602
War Memorials Online, accessed 3rd October 2022 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/172574/
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 20-Jun-2026 at 23:44:19.
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.