War Memorial in the Grounds of the Church of St John the Baptist

Heritage listing

Details BERKSWELL 732/0/10050 CHURCH LANE 08-MAR-11 War Memorial in the grounds of the Chu rch of St John the Baptist GV II A war memorial, commemorating the dead of both world wars. Designed by Sir Charles Nicholson, the mason was D French and the monument was dedicated in 1920. It is sited to the eastern end of the graveyard of the church of St John the Baptist, Berkswell. The walls are of red sandstone and the building takes the form of an open shrine with an altar shelf to the eastern interior wall. The building is square on plan with chamfered corners. EXTERIOR: a plinth, which dies back by an offset, girds the building, and there is a battlemented parapet to the top of the building. The corners die back to square piers which rise above the roof and have brattished cresting. The eastern wall is blank, but the other three walls have doorways with tracery surrounds, above which is a heavy hood mould which links the fronts. Above the doors are inscribed words; 'IN MEMORIAM 1914.1918' on the north front, with a laurel wreath in relief above; 'SO GOD LOVED THE WORLD THAT' on the west front with a crowned rose above and 'HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON' on the south side, with the initials 'I.M' and the dates 1914-1918 above. A paved platform surrounds the building. INTERIOR: the space is groin vaulted with chamfered ribs. The altar shelf to the eastern wall is backed by two niches with ogee heads which hold kneeling, devotional figures in high relief of St George at left and St Nicholas at right. Between them is the figure of Christ on the cross. The names of the fallen from the First World War are grouped by the year of their death and inscribed on the corner piers .The fallen from the Second World War are grouped under a single heading. HISTORY: The memorial was designe

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.