Showcase result

Cirencester

The parish church of St. John the Baptist in the Gloucestershire Cotswold town of Cirencester stands on Market Place. As well as a free standing memorial on the south west side of the church, there are also rolls of honour carved into the west face of the south porch. The World War I roll of honour is incised in six cinquefoil-headed panels on the wall, with two of the panels also having laurel wreaths in relief and a further two carrying a scroll carved in relief bearing the dates AD 1914 – 1919. The World War II roll of honour is in two cinquefoil headed panels at a higher level in a matching style. The war memorial cross adjacent to the church is a calvary with Christ and two supporting figures. Beneath this is a roundel showing a pelican in her piety, and then tapering faceted shaft over a square plinth and three-stepped octagonal base. There are inscriptions on two faces of the plinth, and a decorative rail stands on the lowest step of the base.

In March 2004 War Memorials Trust gave £250 towards work on the free standing memorial. As the inscriptions were becoming hard to read, stonecarvers cut the inscriptions deeper and stained the inscribed letters to make them more legible and to ensure that they matched the lettering on the rolls of honour panels on the side of the church. Work was also undertaken to rake out the defective joints of the octagonal base and re-point them, and cutting out and replacing decayed stone. Cup hooks were fixed to the risers of the steps for wires by which wreaths can be secured.

On the plinth are inscribed World War I dedications; facing the porch the dedication reads

Dedicated in memory of the
men of Cirencester who gave
their lives for their King
and Country in the Great War
Ao Dni 1914 – 1919
Also in the Second
World War 1939 – 1945

On the opposite face is lettering in relief

Is it nothing
to you all ye
that pass by

The memorial was designed by the eminent Gothic Revivial architect Sir Ninian Comper, which was appropriate as the parish church is in the Perpendicular style.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM466
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: Unknown

Information about the Gothic revival architect Ninian Comper (who also designed WM1590)

If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org

Return to search results | Start a new search