War Memorial in Front of Church of St Alphege
WAR MEMORIAL IN FRONT OF CHURCH OF ST ALPHEGE, THE SQUARE
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1396589
- Date first listed:
- 07-Mar-2011
- List Entry Name:
- War Memorial in Front of Church of St Alphege
- Statutory Address:
- WAR MEMORIAL IN FRONT OF CHURCH OF ST ALPHEGE, THE SQUARE
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1396589
- Date first listed:
- 07-Mar-2011
- List Entry Name:
- War Memorial in Front of Church of St Alphege
- Statutory Address 1:
- WAR MEMORIAL IN FRONT OF CHURCH OF ST ALPHEGE, THE SQUARE
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- WAR MEMORIAL IN FRONT OF CHURCH OF ST ALPHEGE, THE SQUARE
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Solihull (Metropolitan Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SP 15312 79325
Reasons for Designation
The war memorial to the north of the Church of St Alphege, The Square, Solihull is designated for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural: the memorial is a strong composition, well suited to its prominent site at the centre of Solihull
* Intact state: the memorial appears to have suffered no loss or alteration
* Historic interest: a permanent testament to the sacrifice of The Fallen in both World Wars, and the Korean war
* Group value: with The Church of St Alphege (Grade I)
Details
SOLIHULL
732/0/10051 THE SQUARE
07-MAR-11 War Memorial in front of Church of St
Alphege
GV II
A War Memorial, commemorating the dead of the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War, erected in the 1921 and designed by W H Bidlake. The monument is an adaptation of an Eleanor cross, of Portland stone with rectangular bronze tablets which bear the names of the fallen.
DESCRIPTION: an octagonal platform with York stone paving and granite kerbs supports an octagonal granite plinth with five steps. The octagonal shaft is divided into four stages; the lowest of these has alternating bronze tablets bearing the names of the fallen from the First World War in relief, according to the service to which they belonged, and stone panels which are carved with representations of service men and women in relief. These show an airman, a marine, an infantryman and a nurse. On the north face is a dedicatory inscription which reads; '1914-1918 / IN ETERNAL REMEMBRANCE OF / THE MEN OF SOLIHULL WHO / WENT FORTH AT THE CALL OF / KING AND COUNTRY TO FIGHT / IN THE GREAT WAR. MANFULLY / THEY FACED HARDSHIP, DANGER, DEATH ITSELF, IN THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY. THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO RETURNED NOT / AGAIN ARE HERE INSCRIBED. / THEIR BODIES ARE BURIED / IN PEACE AND THEIR NAME / LIVETH UNTO GENERATION AND GENERATION'. The upper body has panels which bear the names of the dead from the Second World War and the Korean War. The stage above this has panels of blind tracery with crocketed gablets to the top and this in turn supports a stage with open tracery which supports the finial cross.
HISTORY: the monument was designed by the noted Birmingham architect W H Bidlake to commemorate the dead from the First World War and was unveiled by the Earl of Craven and dedicated by the Bishop of Birmingham on 19 June 1921. To this were added the names of the fallen from the Second World War and the Korean War of 1950-53. Ordnance Survey maps show that the monument is in its original position, but the road layout has been changed and the monument, which originally stood on a small traffic island, now forms part of the wide pavement in front of the Church of St. Alphege.
SOURCES:
Bates, S, Solihull, A Pictorial History, (1991) illus.138
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
The war memorial to the north of the Church of St Alphege, The Square, Solihull is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural: the memorial is a strong composition, well suited to its prominent site at the centre of Solihull
* Intact state: the memorial appears to have suffered no loss or alteration
* Historic interest: a permanent testament to the sacrifice of The Fallen in both World Wars, and the Korean war
* Group value: with The Church of St Alphege (Grade I)
This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 10 August 2017.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 511876
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 18 January 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/19872
War Memorials Online, accessed 10 August 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/251421
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 05-Jun-2026 at 10:31:37.
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