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Summary

Medieval stone cross restored as war memorial. Pedestal, socket stone and shaft are modern, arms are medieval.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1443076: Alphington War Memorial, Devon
• Listed Building (II) 1443076: Alphington War Memorial, Devon

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX99SW/93

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CROSS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD (Between))
• WAR MEMORIAL (World War I to XX - 1914 AD to 2000 AD (Between))

Full description

Masson Phillips, E. N., 1938, The Ancient Stone Crosses of Devon: Part II, 325 (Article in Serial). SDV6308.

Medieval stone cross. Restored. Situated on the green outside the churchyard. Restored as war memorial. Pedestal, socket stone and shaft are modern. The arms are ancient.

Watson, A., 2007-2017?, Devon Crosses, 5, (Vol 1), Sketch included (Un-published). SDV360833.

Alphington Village Church SX918900
Situated on the green outside the church, restored as a war memorial. Modern pedestal of three octagonal steps with modern socket stone which is square at the base with grooved corner shoulders and octagonal above with a chamfered top edge. The modern shaft is rectangular at the base with pointed spurs, above which the edges are chamfered and it tapers upward to join the ancient head part which is of rectangular section with chamfered edges and the limbs expand outwards. On the northern face, between the arms, is a cross shaped recess, the southern face has a plain round headed rectangular recess. The head of the cross was found at the corner of Mill Lane, near Mile End Cottage.
Cross measurements: height 2.49 metres, span 0.64 metres. Recessed cross height 0.36 metres, span 0.33 metres. Recess height 0.30, width 8.8 by 3.8 centimetres. Socket-stone: 0.9 by 0.76 by 0.2 metres high.
Pedestal top 1.75 by 0.2 metres, middle 2.4 by 0.25 high (octagonal), bottom 3.18 by 0.2 metres.

Walls, S., 2010, Alphington War Memorial Cross (Ground Photograph). SDV356234.

Photograph shows stone cross on tiered hexagonal stone plinth, on green, separated from road by railings.

Walls, S., 2010, The Materiality of Remembrance: Twentieth Century War Memorials in Devon, ALP01 (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV355902.

War memorial cross on the Green outside the churchyard.

Brine, M. E., 2013, War Memorials (Website). SDV351333.

Alphington War Memorial, 1914-1918. There are no names on the memorial cross which stands in a prominent position outside the church at a busy road junction. Inside the church is a War Memorial tablet with names.

Imperial War Museum, 2014, War Memorials Archive, 25186 (Website). SDV356253.

Three-stepped octagonal base surmounted by a square plinth, shaft and cross, inscription in raised lettering on one sde of the plinth. Carved cross at the centre of the arms of the cross.
Inscription: 1914 - 1919 1939 - 1945/ THIS ANCIENT CROSS/ WAS RESTORED TO THE GLORY OF GOD IN/ MEMORY OF OUR BRAVE MEN WHO DIED/ FOR THEIR KING AND COUNTRY 1914 - 1919

Historic England, 2017, Alphington War Memorial Cross, The Green, Junction of Dawlish Road, Church Road and Chudleigh Road, Alphington, Exeter (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV360065.

Decision to add Alphington War Memorial Cross to the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.

The memorial is situated on a green at the junction of Dawlish Road and Church Road, to the north of the Church of St Michael (Grade II*-listed) and in close proximity to a number of Grade II-listed structures. It is within Alphington Conservation Area.

War memorials attract considerable public interest and will warrant serious consideration for designating, especially during the centenary of the First World War. The Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings (DCMS, March 2010) sets out how the Secretary of State determines whether a building or structure is of special interest and merits listing. The Historic England Listing Selection Guide for Commemorative Structures (April 2011) states that, unless compromised by alteration or of little design interest, there is a presumption in favour of listing all war memorials. In addition, the Historic England Scheduling Selection Guide for Religion and Ritual post-AD410 (January 2013) states that, given their social, religious, commemorative and architectural interest, all surviving pre-Reformation crosses are considered to be of national significance.

This is a simple example of the cross type of war memorial, incorporating a small amount of medieval
stonework that came, presumably, from an earlier cross. That this is the cross head itself, including a
decorative carved element, adds to the memorial’s interest. Standing in front of the Grade II*-listed parish church and close to a number of other listed structures, the memorial marks the community’s losses of both the First and also the Second World War. Overall, it is considered that the memorial has special architectural and historic interest and meets the criteria for listing.

After examining all the records and other relevant information and having carefully considered the
architectural and historic interest of this case, the criteria for listing are fulfilled. Alphington War Memorial is therefore recommended for listing at Grade II.
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION
Alphington War Memorial Cross, which stands on the green at the junction of Dawlish Road and Church
Road, is recommended for listing at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
Architectural interest: a simple yet poignant granite memorial cross, based on Alphington’s Grade II-listed medieval wayside cross and incorporating medieval stonework from an earlier cross;
Group value: with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Michael, and numerous Grade II-listed structures standing around the green.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Unknown, Untitled Source, Photo (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV282913.

Visited 6/7/1953. Medieval cross head is of granite and is incised on both sides, a cross on the north face and a perpendicular grove on the south. The cross head is chamfered.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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