Keresley War Memorial
St Thomas' Church, Tamworth Road, Keresley, Coventry, Warwickshire, CV6 2EL
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1434931
- Date first listed:
- 17-May-2016
- List Entry Name:
- Keresley War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- St Thomas' Church, Tamworth Road, Keresley, Coventry, Warwickshire, CV6 2EL
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1434931
- Date first listed:
- 17-May-2016
- List Entry Name:
- Keresley War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- St Thomas' Church, Tamworth Road, Keresley, Coventry, Warwickshire, CV6 2EL
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:
- St Thomas' Church, Tamworth Road, Keresley, Coventry, Warwickshire, CV6 2EL
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Coventry (Metropolitan Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SP3164382517
Summary
First World War memorial, 1921.
Reasons for Designation
Keresley War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the church of St Thomas, is listed 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 First World War;
* Degree of survival: unusually the memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration, and thus retains its original design intent;
* Group value: with the church of St Thomas (Grade II).
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. One such memorial was raised at St Thomas’ church, Keresley, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community, who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial cross, dedicated to the 22 men of Kersley and Coundon who lost their lives in the First World War, was unveiled by Lieutenant-General Sir John Keir in August 1921.
Details
Keresley War Memorial stands in the churchyard of the church of St Thomas (Grade II), to the west of the church tower and overlooking the main road. It comprises a tall, rough-hewn, grey granite Celtic cross rising from a tapering plinth, square on plan, standing on a three-stepped base. The front face of the cross bears a reversed sword carved in low relief.
The principal dedicatory inscription on the front face of the plinth reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF THE MEN/ OF THIS PARISH/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919. The inscription on the rear face of the plinth reads THESE DIED IN WAR THAT WE AT PEACE MIGHT LIVE,/ THESE GAVE THEIR BEST, SO WE OUR BEST SHOULD GIVE,/ NOT FOR THEMSELVES - FOR JUSTICE, FREEDOM, RIGHT,/ THEY FOUGHT, AND BID US FORWARD TO THE FIGHT. The commemorated names are inscribed to either side of the plinth.
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, 25 July 2017.
Sources
Websites
The Coventry Society, Coventry War Memorials, accessed 20 February 2016 from http://www.coventrysociety.org.uk/heritage-and-history/coventry-war-memorials/church-memorials.html
War Memorials Online, accessed 17 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/204828
War Memorials Register, accessed 25 July 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/17720
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 06-Jun-2026 at 08:07:44.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.