War Memorials Trust
 

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West Lavington

Town or City: Devizes
County:
Country: England
WMT Reference Number: WM4160

Value of grant: £280.00
Type of memorial: Freestanding
Type of work: Conservation and repair
Grant scheme: Small Grants Scheme
Year: 2010

UKNIWM reference number: 24247

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West Lavington war memorial prior to cleaning © West Lavington Parish Council, 2010This war memorial is located in All Saints Churchyard, Church Street, West Lavington. The memorial is built of Bath limestone and is composed of a three-tiered square base and plinth surmounted by a tall column and Latin cross, the structure is surrounded by gravel. The inscriptions are carved into the plinth and top two tiers of the plinth; the word ‘Remember’ is carved in heavy Gothic lettering. The memorial is located within a Conservation Area.

Steam cleaning in action © West Lavington Parish Council, 2010In 2010, War Memorials Trust gave a grant of £280 towards a project to clean the memorial. This was required because the deposits were a combination of tree sap from the adjacent trees, algae and pollution deposits. As the pollution deposits were heavy and potentially damaging as well obscuring the lettering, the Trust supported the cleaning of the memorial with the DOFF steam cleaning system which is well recognised in conservation work. In addition to being a non-abrasive system and limiting the amount of water required for cleaning (this can over-saturate the joints and stone), the cleaning process also works to sterilise the stone and inhibits the re-growth of biological growths; although this cannot be prevented as they are a natural occurrence. Often low-level appropriate cleaning methods can improve the legibility of inscriptions and therefore the avoidance of the more invasive course of re-cutting lettering.Damaging deposits removed and legibility of inscriptions improved following cleaning © West Lavington Parish Council, 2010

The faculty permission for the memorial proposed to “erect a war memorial cross in the south-east corner of the churchyard belonging to All Saints..” The estimated cost for the memorial was £200 which was to be raised by public subscription and at the time of the faculty petition £150 was already in place. The vicar at the time noted that “the inscription will be simply the one word “remember” with the names of the men who gave their lives in the War written on the base of the memorial.” The faculty was granted on 21st April 1921 for “..a stone column surmounted by a cross (height 16 ft) and inscribed to the memory of the men (naming them) of the Parish of West Lavington who gave their lives in the Great War”. The memorial was unveiled on Thursday 21st July 1921 by the Archdeacon of Wiltshire, Venerable E. J. Bodington. Among those in attendance for the service were four Boy Scouts who formed the Guard of Honour, army buglers and band.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM4160
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 24247

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

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