Summary

First World War memorial erected in 1921.

Description

First World War memorial erected in 1921.

MATERIALS: rough hewn grey granite blocks with a tooled finish, and foundation slab of Yorkshire stone.

PLAN: the memorial stands in front of the east-facing former Congregational Chapel.

EXTERIOR: the memorial is in the form of a monolith resting on a plinth, approximately 2.5m high. The stones are arranged in a haphazard manner, heavily scored in places, and are surmounted by a triangular-shaped capstone. On the front (east side) of the memorial is a tall white Sicilian marble panel inlaid with the cross of sacrifice and crown of victory. The inscription reads: ‘1914-1919/ TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF CLAVERING/ WHO WENT FORTH TO/ THE GREAT WAR/ AND RETURNED NOT AGAIN [their names]/ THEIR NAME LIVETH/ FOR EVERMORE’. The back (west side) of the memorial bears a small tablet with the following inscription: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ IN MEMORY OF/ [their names]/ WORLD WAR 1939-1945.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 12 January 2017.

History

The war memorial was erected in 1921 to the memory of the fallen in the First World War, and the names of the fallen in the Second World War were subsequently added. The unveiling ceremony was performed by Rev. Evans Morgan of Newport who was assisted by Rev. F. Morton, vicar of the parish, and Rev. A. Cook of Stansted. It is not known who designed the memorial but it may have been Messrs J. Day & Son of Bishops Stortford who were responsible for its construction.

The memorial was placed in the grounds of the former Congregational Chapel (now the Christian Centre) which was designed by Sulman & Rhodes in 1872. It is said that members of the Congregational Church and those of the parish Church of St Mary and St Clement could not agree on a site so they each provided their own. In 2011 a grant from War Memorials Trust enabled the conservation and repair of the memorial which involved fixing the stone slabs with slate wedges, repointing, and cleaning.

Reasons for Listing

The war memorial, erected in 1921, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: it has special historic interest commemorating those members of the community who died in the First and Second World Wars;
* Design interest: due to the almost haphazard manner in which the roughly hewn stones have been laid, the memorial gives the impression of being a fragment of a village or churchyard cross.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26676683

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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