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Great Budworth
Town or City: Great Budworth
County: Cheshire
Country: England
WMT Reference Number: WM1561
Value of grant: £2000.00
Type of memorial: Freestanding
Type of work: Conservation and repair
Grant scheme: English Heritage/Wolfson Foundation Grants
Year: 2005
UKNIWM reference number: 1986
Great Budworth war memorial is a lychgate is the entrance to the churchyard of St. Mary and All Saints. It is an oak framed structure on a red sandstone wall under a slate roof. There is a crucifix on the frame over the gate, and the barge boards are elaborately carved. All from the village who served in World War I are commemorated on the bronze plaques inside the lychgate. Of those who served 28 were casualties and 209 returned to the village. However, for World War II only the fallen are commemorated.
The lychgate was in urgent need of repair as several of the slates had become loose or were missing. In 2005/6, English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation gave a grant of £2,000 towards work to remove the slates and ridge tiles from the roof, repair the timbers, including treating them with fungicide and insecticide, then cleaning and replacing the slates and ridge tiles.
The lychgate was built in 1920, but there are no extant details of the architect, mason or unveiling ceremony.
The dedication plaque reads
In humble thankfulness to almighty God for the blessings of victory and peace and in undying memory of those from this parish who went forth to fight for the right and laid down their lives in the cause, this lych gate is dedicated. MCMXX
The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God and there shall no torment touch them, in the sight of the unwise they seem to die and their departure is taken for misery and their going down from us to be utter destruction but they are in peace.
The memorial is still very relevant to the people of Great Budworth; many members of families commemorated on the memorial still live in the village, and some of those killed in World War II are remembered as fathers or uncles. Many of those recorded are buried or have memorial stones in the churchyard and several members of the congregation are World War II veterans at the time works were carried out on the memorial in 2005.
Further information
War Memorials Trust reference WM1561
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 1986
The memorial is listed building number 57540
The names of the people commemorated on the memorial
If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org
