Runcorn War Memorial was built to commemorate the servicemen of

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and Runcorn Docks, cargo port in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England. Runcorn is on the south bank of the River Mersey, where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. It is upstream from the port of Live ...

lost in active service in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. It was unveiled on

Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in Nov ...

1920 at 3:30pm, beginning a tradition of afternoon services. In 1948, the memorial was rededicated and the names of those lost in the Second World War were added. An inscribed stone was added later with the names of those lost in subsequent conflicts. The memorial, set in a small garden, consists of a Latin cross in white

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

on a

plinth A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

and steps. The names of the war dead are inscribed on a wall behind the cross. The memorial is recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...

as a designated Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Location and history

The war memorial stands in a small garden at the junction of Greenway Road, Weston Road and Moughland Lane in Higher Runcorn. It was designed by James Wilding, and was unveiled on 14 November 1920 by Colonel William Bromley Davenport, the Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Chester, and by R. H. Posnett, Chairman of Runcorn Urban District Council. It was re-dedicated on 7 November 1948 when the names of those lost in the Second World War were recorded. Later a further inscribed stone was added with the names of those lost in subsequent conflicts.

Description

The memorial is built in white granite from Kit Hill Quarry, Callington,

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, and consists of a Latin cross, the shaft of which is about high. The shaft stands on an octagonal plinth on a base of three octagonal steps. At the base of the shaft are scrolled brackets. The memorial is set in a small garden, on a paved platform, and is approached from the road by a set of steps. The face of the plinth facing the road is inscribed "FOR OUR SAKE", the face to the left is inscribed "1914" and that to the right "1918". The top step is inscribed "1939–1945". Behind the cross is a

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

wall divided into five sections by six

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

, each section containing a

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

plaque. Each plaque carries an inscription and names of the 361 local servicemen who died in the First World War. On the piers are plaques containing the names of the 119 servicemen who died in the Second World War. The granite stone in front of the cross is inscribed with the names of those lost in later conflicts.

Appraisal

The memorial was designated as a Grade II listed building on 15 September 2016. Grade II is the lowest of the three grades of listing, and is applied to "buildings hat areare of special interest". The reasons for designating this building are its historic interest "as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries"; and its architectural interest as being "a tall and imposing memorial cross standing on a wide platform designed for ceremonial use defined by a memorial wall to the rear".

War Memorial Garden

There is a memorial garden opposite the memorial cross. It has a statue of

Thomas Alfred Jones Thomas Alfred Jones, VC, DCM (25 December 1880 – 30 January 1956), also known as "Todger" Jones, was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to British and Commonwealth f ...

, from Runcorn, who was awarded a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

Notes and references

Notes

References

{{reflist Grade II listed buildings in Cheshire Buildings and structures in Runcorn 1920 sculptures Grade II listed monuments and memorials World War I memorials in England World War II memorials in England Monuments and memorials in Cheshire