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Ross-on-Wye

This war memorial is a large Latin cross made from rough hewn grey granite. It sits on a sloping plinth and is set within a tarmac area. The inscriptions are made from painted lead letters.

The memorial is located in Prospect Gardens, next to St Mary’s churchyard in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. It was originally had two German field guns at the side but these were removed sometime in the 1980s.

In 2008, the memorial was re-sited within the gardens due to there being Roman remains on the original site which needed excavating. The main issues with the memorial were that many of the lead letters had lost their paint and were difficult to read. War Memorials Trust gave a grant of £823 to re-paint the letters with black enamel.

In 2022 a grant for £720 was given to steam clean the memorial to aid legibility of the names. Defective and loose mortar was removed and re-pointed using lime and the lead lettering was re-painted using an enamel-based paint. SmartWater was applied to some of the lead lettering to deter metal theft and to aid traceability should theft occur. The project was supported by Historic England through the Grants for War Memorials grant scheme.

The cross was built by a mason called Alfred William Ursell and unveiled in July 1920.

The inscription reads:

To 
the glory of God and
in memory of those
in the Ross district
who fell
in the Great War
1914 – 1918
They died that we might
live in peace and liberty

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM3165
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 32982

War Memorials Online: 91360

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

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