St Chad's Cheetham Hill First World War Memorial Cross
St Chad's Churchyard, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, M4 4EX
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1485562
- Date first listed:
- 04-May-2023
- List Entry Name:
- St Chad's Cheetham Hill First World War Memorial Cross
- Statutory Address:
- St Chad's Churchyard, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, M4 4EX
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1485562
- Date first listed:
- 04-May-2023
- List Entry Name:
- St Chad's Cheetham Hill First World War Memorial Cross
- Statutory Address 1:
- St Chad's Churchyard, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, M4 4EX
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:
- St Chad's Churchyard, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, M4 4EX
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Manchester (Metropolitan Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SJ8416199526
Summary
A First World War memorial erected around 1920 as a wheelhead Celtic cross in grey granite.
Reasons for Designation
The St Chad’s Cheetham Hill First World War memorial, a war memorial of around 1920, 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:
* for its good quality design in the form of a wheelhead Celtic cross, enhanced by carved decoration and lead-lettered inscriptions.
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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised around 1920 at St Chad’s as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 95 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
An associated interior plaque with the names of the fallen was broken in the 1970s. In 2014 they were instead added to the separate triptych war memorial in the south aisle of the church.
Details
A First World War memorial erected around 1920.
MATERIALS: grey granite.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands around two and a half metres tall and comprises a wheelhead cross on a pyramidal base and a slightly tapering plinth. It faces west, towards Cheetham Hill Road.
The cross has knotwork carving to the arms and a central relief of Christ’s head crowned with thorns. The shaft has stopped chamfers and at its base has a relief of a winged Victory vanquishing a serpent. The wheel has lead lettering reading IN/ HOC/ SIGNO/ VINCES (in this sign you will conquer). The sides of the shaft have slightly-recessed panels, and are also stop-chamfered.
The base is dressed smooth apart from the lower border which is rock-faced. An inscription in lead capital lettering reads ERECTED/ TO THE MEMORY/ OF/ THE PARISHIONERS AND OLD SCHOLARS/ OF ST CHAD'S WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918/ D. SHEAHAN, M. RECTOR
The plinth is rock-faced.
Sources
Websites
Imperial War Museums website, accessed 23/02/23 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/10748
War Memorials Online database, accessed 23/02/23 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/251445/
Imperial War Memorials website entry for the memorial in the church, accessed 23/02/23 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/75687
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 23-Jun-2026 at 15:29:57.
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.