Runcorn War Memorial

Last updated

Runcorn War Memorial
Runcorn War Memorial.jpg
Runcorn War Memorial
Location Runcorn, Cheshire, England
Coordinates 53°20′00″N2°44′20″W / 53.33343°N 2.73882°W / 53.33343; -2.73882
OS grid reference SJ5089982091
Built1920 (1920)
ArchitectJames Wilding
Governing bodyHalton Borough Council
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated15 September 2016
Reference no.1437933
Cheshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Cheshire

Runcorn War Memorial was built to commemorate the servicemen of Runcorn lost in active service in the First World War. It was unveiled on Remembrance Sunday 1920 at 3:30pm, beginning a tradition of afternoon services. In 1948, the memorial was rededicated and the names of those lost in the Second World War were added. An inscribed stone was added later with the names of those lost in subsequent conflicts.

Contents

The memorial, set in a small garden, consists of a Latin cross in white granite on a plinth and steps. The names of the war dead are inscribed on a wall behind the cross. The memorial is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

Location and history

The war memorial stands in a small garden at the junction of Greenway Road, Weston Road and Moughland Lane in Higher Runcorn. It was designed by James Wilding, and was unveiled on 14 November 1920 by Colonel William Bromley Davenport, the Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Chester, and by R. H. Posnett, Chairman of Runcorn Urban District Council. [lower-alpha 1] It was re-dedicated on 7 November 1948 when the names of those lost in the Second World War were recorded. Later a further inscribed stone was added with the names of those lost in subsequent conflicts. [2]

Description

The memorial is built in white granite from Kit Hill Quarry, Callington, Cornwall, and consists of a Latin cross, the shaft of which is about 3.5 metres (11 ft) high. The shaft stands on an octagonal plinth on a base of three octagonal steps. At the base of the shaft are scrolled brackets. The memorial is set in a small garden, on a paved platform, and is approached from the road by a set of steps. The face of the plinth facing the road is inscribed "FOR OUR SAKE", the face to the left is inscribed "1914" and that to the right "1918". The top step is inscribed "1939–1945". [2]

Behind the cross is a sandstone wall divided into five sections by six piers, each section containing a marble plaque. [3] Each plaque carries an inscription and names of the 361 local servicemen who died in the First World War. On the piers are plaques containing the names of the 119 servicemen who died in the Second World War. The granite stone in front of the cross is inscribed with the names of those lost in later conflicts. [lower-alpha 2] [2]

Appraisal

The memorial was designated as a Grade II listed building on 15 September 2016. [2] Grade II is the lowest of the three grades of listing, and is applied to "buildings [that are] are of special interest". [4] The reasons for designating this building are its historic interest "as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries"; and its architectural interest as being "a tall and imposing memorial cross standing on a wide platform designed for ceremonial use defined by a memorial wall to the rear". [2]

War Memorial Garden

Statue of Thomas Alfred Jones Alfred jones.jpg
Statue of Thomas Alfred Jones

There is a memorial garden opposite the memorial cross. It has a statue of Thomas Alfred Jones, from Runcorn, who was awarded a Victoria Cross.

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. R. H. Posnett was the owner of Camden Tannery in the town and a local benefactor. [1]
  2. As of September 2016 the stone contains seven names. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War Memorial Cross, Beeston</span> Grade II listed war memorial in Beeston, Nottinghamshire

War Memorial Cross, Beeston is a Grade II listed structure in Beeston, Nottinghamshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Sunlight War Memorial</span>

The Port Sunlight War Memorial stands in a central position in the model village of Port Sunlight, Wirral, Merseyside, England. The founder of the village and employer of its residents, William Lever, was anxious to have a memorial to commemorate those of his workers who had been lost in the First World War. As early as 1916 he commissioned Goscombe John to design a war memorial, which was completed and unveiled in 1921 by two of his employees. It consists of a granite runic cross with bronze statues and reliefs and has the theme "Defence of the Realm". On the memorial are the names of all of the company's employees who died as a result of both World Wars. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busbridge War Memorial</span>

Busbridge War Memorial is a First World War memorial in the churchyard of St John's Church in village of Busbridge in Surrey, south-eastern England. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it is Grade II* listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockbridge War Memorial</span>

Stockbridge War Memorial is a First World War memorial in the town of Stockbridge in Hampshire in southern England. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled in 1921; it is a grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muncaster War Memorial</span> War memorial in Muncaster, England

Muncaster War Memorial is a First World War memorial in the parish of Muncaster on the west coast of Cumbria in the far north-west of England. The memorial is one of fifteen War Crosses designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens; it was unveiled in 1922 and is now a grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandhurst War Memorial</span>

Sandhurst War Memorial is a First World War memorial in the village of Sandhurst in Kent, south-eastern England, close to the border with East Sussex. The memorial is one of fifteen War Crosses by Sir Edwin Lutyens and arguably the one with the most elaborate setting. It was unveiled in 1923 and is today a grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helsby War Memorial</span> Historic site in Cheshire, England

Helsby War Memorial was built to commemorate the servicemen of Helsby lost in active service in the First World War. It was unveiled in 1920, and the names of those lost in the Second World War were added later. The memorial stands in the churchyard of St Paul's Church in Helsby, Cheshire, England, and consists of a Celtic cross in sandstone on a pedestal and steps. On the shaft of the cross is an inscription and on the pedestal are the names of those lost in the conflicts. The war memorial is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War Memorial, Stanwick</span>

The War Memorial is a Grade II listed structure located in the churchyard of the Church of St Laurence in the village of Stanwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hatfield War Memorial</span> War memorial in Hertfordshire, England

The Hatfield War Memorial is a war memorial beside the Great North Road in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. It was one of 24 war memorials in England designed by Sir Herbert Baker, that were designated as a national collection by Historic England in 2017. The memorial is located near the gates of Hatfield House, and close to Hatfield railway station. It was unveiled in 1921, to commemorate 139 men from Hatfield killed on service during the First World War. A brick pavilion records the names of the dead, with further names added after the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dulwich Old College War Memorial</span> War memorial in London

The Dulwich Old College War Memorial is located in the forecourt of Dulwich Old College on College Road in Dulwich in the London Borough of Southwark. It marks the deaths of the former pupils of the college who died in the First World War between 1914 and 1919. The memorial is made from Hopton Wood stone and was designed by William Douglas Caröe. It was unveiled in 1921. It has been grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England since May 2010. The heritage listing places the memorial within a "visual and contextual relationship" with the Grade II listed Old College building and the entrance gates and piers of the Old College, also Grade II listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dulwich College War Memorial</span> War memorial in London

The Dulwich College War Memorial is located at the eastern front of Dulwich College on College Road in Dulwich in the London Borough of Southwark. It commemorates the alumni of the college who died in both the First and Second World Wars. The memorial was designed by W. H. Atkin-Berry, an alumnus of the college. It was unveiled on 17 June 1921, the Dulwich College Founder's Day, by Major General Sir Webb Gillman, and dedicated by the Dean of Durham, James Welldon. Gillman was an alumnus of the college, and Welldon had served as Master of Dulwich College from 1883 to 1885. It has been Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England since May 2010. The heritage listing places the memorial within a "visual and contextual relationship" with the Grade II* listed Main College building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackmoor War Memorial</span> War memorial in Blackmoor, Hampshire, England

Blackmoor War Memorial is a First World War memorial cloister in Blackmoor, near Liss, in Hampshire. The memorial stands on the north side of the main road, with the Church of St Matthew to the east and the village school to the west. It was designed by Sir Herbert Baker, and comprises a three-sided wood-framed arcade, open to the south, arranged around lawn with a memorial cross. Several memorial plaques and a fountain by Sir Charles Wheeler are mounted on the walls of the arcade. It is one of around 130 Grade II* listed war memorials in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streatham War Memorial</span> War memorial in London

Streatham War Memorial is a war memorial to the war dead of the London district of Streatham in the two World Wars. It was unveiled in 1922, and is sited near the northwest corner of Streatham Common, London Borough of Lambeth, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston upon Thames War Memorial</span> War memorial in London

Kingston upon Thames War Memorial, in the Memorial Garden on Union Street, Kingston upon Thames, London, commemorates the men of the town who died in the First World War. After 1945, the memorial was updated to recognise casualties from the Second World War. The memorial was commissioned by the town council and was designed by the British sculptor Richard Reginald Goulden. The memorial includes a bronze statue of a nude warrior, carrying a flaming cross and wielding a sword with which he defends two children from a serpent, erected on a granite plinth, with bronze plaques listing the names of the dead. Goulden designed a number of such allegorical memorials, including others at Crompton, Greater Manchester, and Redhill, Surrey. The Kingston memorial was designated a Grade II listed structure in 1983. This was revised upwards in 2016 to Grade II*, denoting a building or structure of particular importance.

The Bank of England War Memorial, in the internal Garden Court at the headquarters of the Bank of England in the City of London, commemorates the bank's staff who were killed while serving in the First World War and Second World War. It includes a bronze sculpture by Richard Reginald Goulden portraying Saint Christopher carrying the Christ Child. It became a Grade II listed building in 2017. The surrounding buildings of the bank are separately listed at Grade I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poulton-le-Fylde War Memorial</span>

Erected in 1921, the Poulton-le-Fylde War Memorial is located in the English market town of Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. A Grade II listed structure, it stands in a small cobbled area at the north end of Market Place, having been moved from nearby Queen’s Square in 1979. Made of granite, it consists of a pillar with an octagonal foot, and a ball finial surmounted by a wheel-head cross. The pillar is on a square plinth on an octagonal step. On the plinth is a timber plaque with a coat of arms, a bronze plaque with an inscription, and further plaques recording the names of those lost in the World Wars and another conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornton-Cleveleys War Memorial</span> Public sculpture by Albert Toft

Erected in 1923, the Thornton-Cleveleys War Memorial is located in the English conurbation of Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire. A Grade II listed structure, it stands in a small garden in the southwestern corner of a junction known as Four Lane Ends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford War Memorial</span>

Oxford War Memorial is a first world war memorial in Oxford, at the north end of St Giles', on the junction where the road splits into the A4144 Woodstock Road and the A4165 Banbury Road. The memorial stands in St Giles Memorial Garden, about 150 m (490 ft) to the south of St Giles' Church, Oxford. It was unveiled in 1921 and became a Grade II listed structure in 2016. The Grade II* listed Martyrs' Monument stands about 350 m (1,150 ft) south, at the other end of St Giles'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl Assurance War Memorial</span> War memorial in Peterborough, England

The Pearl Assurance War Memorial, also known as the Pearl Centre War Memorial, is a First World War memorial, designed by George Frampton for the Pearl Assurance Company. Erected in London in 1921, it was moved to Peterborough in 1991. It became a Grade II* listed building in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cromford War Memorial</span> Historic site in Derbyshire, England

Cromford War Memorial is a 20th-century grade II listed war memorial in Cromford, Derbyshire.

References

  1. Starkey, H. F. (1990), Old Runcorn, Halton Borough Council, pp. 216–218
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Historic England, "Runcorn War Memorial (1437933)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 16 September 2016
  3. Runcorn, Imperial War Museums , retrieved 16 September 2016
  4. Listed Buildings, Historic England , retrieved 16 September 2016