Stannington War Memorial

First World War memorial, 1921, with Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: Rivelin gritstone and red granite tablets.

DESCRIPTION: Stannington War Memorial consists of a wheel-headed Latin cross on a tapering ashlar shaft, with a laurel wreath carved in relief at its base. The cross shaft rises from a square-plan three-stepped base, set within an octagonal feather-edged kerb. A rectangular stone grave vase is situated against the bottom step of the base. Four red granite tablets, bearing incised inscriptions picked out in gilt, are fixed to the upper pair of steps. The tablet on the west face of the top step reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN EVERLASTING MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES. 1939 – 1945./ STANNINGTON. LOXLEY./ (14 names) and has a granite apron on the upper surface of the middle step. The tablet on the west face of the middle step bears the inscription: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN EVER GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE FOLLOWING MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR,/ 1914 – 1919./ SEE TO IT THAT NONE OF THESE/ SHALL HAVE DIED IN VAIN. The tablets on the north and south faces of the middle step record the 69 names of the Fallen from the First World War.

The memorial is situated within a roughly D-plan enclosure of coursed quarry-faced stone walls with ridged quarry-faced coping stones to the rear and sides, and ashlar saddle-back coping stones to the front; the latter also has a decorative cast-iron railing and a central, splayed opening with a suspended chain, reached by stone steps. A modern white painted flag pole is situated to the rear.