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Hilperton

The war memorial in the village of Hilperton in western Wiltshire is situated in Church Street. It is a simple Bath stone cross with black enamel lettering. The shaft is moulded at the bottom and stands on an octagonal plinth and two-stepped base. The cross is set back from the pavement in a semi-circular area and behind it is a curved stone wall with seating. Planters on the seating are inscribed with the dates of the world wars. A metal post and chain fence divides the area from the pavement. To one side of the memorial is a small seventeenth/ eighteenth century building with a domed roof, known as a blind house. Blind houses are a single cell for prisoners, and this is a typical Wiltshire example.

Behind the wall soil had built up to the height of the top of the wall and the memorial was becoming damaged because of the damp from the soil penetrating the joints and coping. In 2006 English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation paid of £1066 towards work to insert a French drain behind the wall. A French drain is a trench with a land drain at the bottom, which is then backfilled with shingle or similar coarse material, allowing water to drain away rather than penetrate the stone work. Work was also done to rake out and remove cement-based pointing and re-point the wall using lime mortar. This would help ameliorate the damp problem as concrete is impermeable and therefore moisture builds up in the structure, whereas lime mortar allows an exchange of moisture and air between the inside of the monument and its surroundings. At the same time a loose section of the seat was removed and re-fixed with stainless steel pins.

The dedication on the memorial reads

To
the glory of God
and
in memory of the men
of this village who
gave their lives in
the Great War
1914 - 1918

The names of the fallen of the two world wars are carved on the plinth. The memorial was built in 1920. It was dedicated by the Bishop of Salisbury on 30th May 1920 and unveiled by Walter Long MP.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM1579
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 24278

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

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