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Pirbright

Pirbright war memorial stands in the churchyard of St. Michael and All Angels Church on Church Lane in Pirbright, Surrey.

The wooden Calvary cross includes a finely carved oak Christ figure on a four-stepped stone plinth. The base of the memorial is paved with natural stone incorporating four rectangular plaques incised with dedications and the names of 48 local men who died in World War I and a further 11 who died in World War II. The cross is Grade II listed and located in Pirbright Conservation Area. As it is within the grounds of the church, a Faculty from the Diocese was required to undertake the work.

In December 2022, £7,650 was awarded through Grants for War Memorials scheme supported by Historic England towards repair and conservation works. The memorial had become structurally unsound. The base had rotted whilst the carved Christ figure was not only damaged but also tied to the Calvary due to concerns about its security. Staining on the inscription plaques showed where wreaths had trapped water.

The structure was carefully dismantled with the timber transported to a workshop. Whilst in the workshop there was a lot of discussion between various parties to identify the most appropriate treatments. This included the custodians, contractors, WMT and Historic England who were particularly interested in this case as an example of works to this type of memorial.

Site visits were undertaken to the workshop and a number of technical approaches reviewed before the works were completed. WMT recognises the patience of the custodian and community through the process and thanks the contractors for engaging to ensure an appropriate outcome that can be monitored.

Works included new timber spliced-in to replace lost and rotted components. To match the original design intricate carving took place to fingers, arms, facial features and halo. The figure’s left arm was retained and repaired with a combination of seasoned oak wood and specialist timber filler. This approach represents best conservation practice and the principle of retaining as much of the original fabric as possible.

The back of the neck and shoulders of the figure were also repaired and filled whilst the lead covering at the back of the figure’s head and the top of cross was cleaned by hand. The base of the cross was repaired using five year old air dried European oak. The whole was finished using Tung oil before being reassembled on site. The oil enabled the new timber to be more closely matched to the older but more importantly acts as a protective layer to help preserve the timber.

The base and surrounding paving stones were realigned and carefully re-pointed in an appropriate lime mortar before the cross was reinstated. The inscription plaque, which includes two Maltese crosses, reads:

“Greater love
hath no man
than this that
a man lay
down his life
for his friends”

The memorial was unveiled on 13th August 1920 by the Bishop of Guildford, John Randolph. Frederick Brook Hitch (1897-1957), a prominent British sculptor, designed the Calvary. He was also responsible for elements of other memorials, including the Submariners Memorial (WMO/112006) and the Animals War Memorial Dispensary (WMO/167219) which are both in London.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM10234
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 23366

War Memorials Online: WMO/100753

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

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