Thornley War Memorial is a Grade II listed building in the County Durham local planning authority area, England. First listed on 7 December 2016. Memorial.

Thornley War Memorial

WRENN ID
inner-hall-ash
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
County Durham
Constituency
Bishop Auckland MP: Dr Sam Rushworth (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
7 December 2016
Type
Memorial
Address
Thornley War Memorial, Thornley Road, Bishop Auckland, Wolsingham, DL13 4PA
OS grid reference
NZ 114 373
Coordinates
54.73084, -1.8237
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Thornley War Memorial is located at the center of a grassy triangle at a road junction, opposite the former Schoolhouse, which is not listed. It is an adaptation of Sir Reginald Blomfield’s Cross of Sacrifice, designed for the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission, and stands approximately 5 meters tall, constructed from Heworth stone.

The front face of the tall cross features a reversed sword in bronze. The cross shaft rises from an octagonal pedestal, which is set on a broader octagonal base that has an overhang for placing wreaths. The entire structure is positioned on a broad base with three shallow steps, which is enclosed by railings.

The main dedicatory inscription on the front face of the pedestal reads: IN/ THANKSGIVING/ TO GOD/ FOR VICTORY/ AND/ TO THE/ MEMORY OF/ OUR VALIANT/ DEAD/ 1914-1918. The names of those commemorated are listed on the adjacent faces, while the names of two individuals commemorated from the Second World War are recorded on the rear.

Local climate

Thornley War Memorial receives an average of 880 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 64% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 88% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 48 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 90% of listed buildings. Of these, 29 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Church of St Bartholomew Grade II 241 m
  2. Thornley Hall Grade II 304 m
  3. Snipe Gate Bridge Grade II 783 m
  4. Old Park Farmhouse and Well House Attached Grade II 977 m
  5. Former Smithy South of Old Park Farmhouse Grade II 1.0 km
  6. Barn East of Bradley Hall Grade II 1.3 km
  7. Bradley Hall Farmhouse Grade II 1.3 km
  8. Bradley Burn Farmhouse Grade II 1.4 km
  9. Bradley Burn Bridge Grade II 1.4 km
  10. War Memorial Grade II 1.4 km