Thornton Hough War Memorial

First World War memorial, 1921, based on a sketch design by Ernest Prestwich, built by James Lomax-Simpson.

MATERIALS: Darley Dale stone, red sandstone, and bronze.

DESCRIPTION: Thornton Hough War Memorial stands within the apex of the churchyard of the Grade II* listed Church of St George (United Reformed). The memorial takes the form of a slender wheel-headed cross. The cross is aligned east to west with arms formed by recessed panels, and the wheel segments and the cross intaglio are carved with a Celtic knot design. The cross is mounted on a tall tapering shaft, with a stepped cap, chamfered corners and a moulded base. The shaft rises from a two-stepped plinth on a three-stepped base. The east and west faces of the shaft each have a rectangular inset close to the top, containing a carved Celtic knot design similar to that on the cross. A rectangular bronze plaque at the foot of the east face of the shaft bears the inscription TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL/ MEMORY OF THE MEN/ OF THIS PARISH WHO/ LAID DOWN THEIR/ LIVES IN THE GREAT/ WAR 1914 – 1918/ (NAMES). The D-plan podium is laid in Darley Dale stone slabs and is enclosed by a low stepped red sandstone wall, with a central opening through which the memorial is reached via pairs of shallow convex and concave steps.