Tarporley War Memorial, Tarporley, Cheshire West and Chester

Entry Name: Tarporley War Memorial

Listing Date: 11 November 2016

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1439675

Also known as: War memorial, Tarporley

ID on this website: 101439675

Location: St Helen's Church, Tarporley, Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire, CW6

County: Cheshire West and Chester

Civil Parish: Tarporley

Built-Up Area: Tarporley

Traditional County: Cheshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Cheshire

Church of England Parish: Tarporley St Helen

Church of England Diocese: Chester

Tagged with: War memorial

Summary

First World War memorial and dedication tablet by Sir Percy Scott Worthington.

Description

First World War memorial and dedication tablet of 1921 designed by Sir Percy Scott Worthington.

MATERIALS: Portland stone memorial, sandstone-bordered slate plaque.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located within the churchyard of St Helen’s Church close to the churchyard wall. The memorial comprises a lantern cross set upon an octagonal plinth with carved decorative details on four of the corners. A figure of Christ with the cross is carved within the lantern. It is set upon a two-stepped base. Inscribed around the octagonal plinth in ornate medieval-style raised lettering is: REMEMBER THE LOVE/ OF THEM THAT CAME/ NOT HOME FROM THE/ WAR IN THE YEARS OF OUR LORD NINETEEN HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN TO NINETEEN HUNDRED/ AND NINETEEN.

To the rear of the memorial set into the churchyard wall is a sandstone-bordered slate plaque. The stone border carries the inscription in ornate medieval-style raised lettering: IN SACRED SLEEP THEY LIE/ SAY NOT THE BRAVE CAN DIE. Underneath, the slate plaque is inscribed with the names of those who fell.

Underneath, an additional section has been added inscribed with: 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES).

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, 26 January 2017.

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, 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.

One such memorial was raised at Tarpoley as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The war memorial was designed by architect Sir Percy Scott Worthington (1864-1939) who was a partner in his father Thomas Worthington’s firm in Manchester. Thomas Worthington designed a number of Manchester’s pre-eminent Victorian buildings and his son became a partner in 1889. He is best known for his work on hospital buildings.

The total cost of the finished war memorial was £700. It commemorates 61 fallen local men and the names of those who died are recorded on a sandstone-bordered slate tablet (included in the listing) fixed to the churchyard wall. The memorial was dedicated in 1921.

Following the Second World War, 12 names of those who lost their lives in that war were added to the slate plaque.

Reasons for Listing

Tarporley War Memorial, dedicated in 1921, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an ornate and striking lantern cross with carved decorative details and fine lettering, designed by the architect Sir Percy Scott Worthington;
* Group value: with the Church of St Helen (Grade II*).

External Links

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.