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Monument Types

• WAR MEMORIAL (Built, 20TH CENTURY AD to 21ST CENTURY AD - 1920 AD to 2050 AD (between))

Protected Status

• Listed Building

Full description

20th Century War Memorial commemorating 5 (?) names of those who died during the First World War. Stone built cross set on a obelisk above an engraved stone plinth and two stone steps.. Fair condition when photographic record created . Located at the edge of the church yard alongside the road between the two rectory buildings. [1]

Stone, 2 square steps, square plinth, octagonal shaft, Latin cross with splayed ends, 18 names, WW1 & WW2. Designer H.C. Corlette. Unveiled by Bishop Philip Fyson on the 1st September 1920. He had been the Anglican bishop of the diocese of Hokkaido in Japan, returned to England in 1908 and was Vicar of Elmley Lovett from 1908 to 1925. One of his sons, Oliver Fyson, a private in the Canadian Infantry, died in action 1915. The memorial was moved from SO 80579 70807 to its present position near Church House, Rectory Lane, in 1961 as part of road widening scheme.[2][3][4][5]

The war memorial was listed at Grade II on the 6th September 2018.

History:

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of 750,000 British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Areley Kings, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the men of the community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The war memorial, which was designed by architect Major Hubert Christian Corlette, OBE (1869 – 1958), was unveiled in a ceremony by Bishop Philip Fyson on 1 September 1920. Further names were added after the Second World War to commemorate those lost in that conflict.

In 1961 the war memorial was moved to its present position from its original location nearby, at the junction of Dunley Road and Areley Lane, as part of a road widening scheme.

Details:

A First World War memorial, designed by HC Corlette (1869-1958), unveiled on 1 September 1920; altered by the addition of names from the Second World War.

MATERIALS: Sandstone.

DESCRIPTION: The memorial takes the form of a Latin cross with splayed ends to the arms, and is about 1.3m high overall. The cross stands atop an octagonal column with scrolling chamfers to the top. The column stands on a large, square plinth, all on a two-stepped platform with slightly sloping steps. The plinth carries the inscriptions and names of the 13 men who lost their lives in the First World War, and the five men lost in the Second World War. The inscription on the plinth, of carved lettering in a Serif font, reads A PILLAR OF REMEMBRANCE/ OF THE MEN OF/ ARELEY KINGS/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN/ THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918// (NAMES)// FOR KING AND COUNTRY/ "WHO DIES IF ENGLAND LIVES"// (NAMES).

The upper step of the two-stepped platform reads 1939-1945/ (NAMES)

Reasons for Designation:

Areley Kings War Memorial is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the church’s community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:
* for its design, a well-executed sandstone memorial with elaborate carved detailing.

Group value:
* with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Bartholomew, Church House and The Old Rectory. [6]

Sources and further reading

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