Heddon-on-the-Wall Memorial Cross with memorial park walls and gate piers

The memorial cross stands in the Heddon-on-the-Wall Memorial Park off the Hexham Road, within the scheduled area of Hadrian's Wall and vallum from East Town House, Heddon-on-the-Wall to the A69 trunk road in wall mile 12. It is within the Frontiers of the Roman Empire (Hadrian’s Wall) World Heritage Site. The memorial cross takes the form of a Celtic cross, c4m tall and made of granite. The front face of the cross is ornamented with a reversed sword carved in low relief. The cross shaft rises from a pedestal, square on plan and with rounded corners, which stands on a four-stepped base.

The principal dedicatory inscription on the front face of the pedestal reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF/ THOSE FROM THIS PARISH/ WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY DURING THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (16 NAMES)/ “SO THEY PASSED OVER, AND ALL THE TRUMPETS/ SOUNDED FOR THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE. The Second World War inscription, on the riser of the top step, reads: ALSO TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE OF THIS PARISH WHO FELL/ IN THE SECOND GREAT WAR 1939 – 1945./ (NAMES).

Whilst the memorial garden’s railings have been lost (thought to have been taken in the Second World War scrap metal drive) the low, coped, stone wall which carried the railings still encloses the garden, including gate piers to the west side. A short length of the wall on the north side remains only as foundations. A bronze plaque on the left-hand gate pier records the creation of the park. The West Yorkshire Regiment’s battle honour for India and the Northumberland Fusiliers’ badge are cast in roundels in low relief to the top of the plaque. The dedicatory inscription reads: THIS PARK/ WAS LAID OUT/ EQUIPPED AND PRESENTED TO/ THE HEDDON-ON-THE-WALL/ PARISH COUNCIL BY/ SIR JAMES AND LADY KNOTT/ OF CLOSE HOUSE WYLAM/ IN MEMORY OF THEIR TWO SONS/ MAJOR/ JAMES LEADBITTER KNOTT/ D.S.O./ 10TH WEST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT/ AND CAPTAIN/ HENRY BASIL KNOTT/ 9TH NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS/ WHO WERE KILLED IN ACTION/ IN THE GREAT WAR.

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, 27 July 2017.