Rishworth war memorial

First World War memorial, 1923, with the names of those killed in the Second World War added later. Stone of remembrance design.

MATERIALS: local millstone grit sandstone.

Rishworth War Memorial is located on a triangular plot of land at the junction of Oldham Road and Rishworth New Road and takes the form of a stone of remembrance consisting of a solid un-polished block of millstone-grit sandstone hewn from a local quarry. The large block weighs over five tons and is set upon a large octagonal concrete base with chamfered edges surmounted by a planted rockery and wreath plinth of local millstone grit. Affixed to the east face of the memorial is a bronze plaque that reads 'IN MEMORY/OF THOSE WHO WENT FORTH/ FROM RISHWORTH TO/ THE GREAT WAR 1914-18,/ AND RETURNED NOT AGAIN' and records the names of the ten men of the village who lost their lives in the First World War. The plaque also bears a quotation from Lamentations 1:12 - 'Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?', all in relief lettering. A smaller bronze plaque below in the same style bears the dates '1939-1945', along with the names of the two men killed during the Second World War and the words 'For Peace and Freedom'. Surrounding the memorial is a stone path and rockery, behind which to the south, north and west sides are areas of planting. The memorial and surrounding planted areas are enclosed by a low snecked-stone wall to the front (east side) with flat-topped copings and square gate piers with two steps up onto the path surrounding the memorial. The wall was originally surmounted by railings, but these have since been removed, along with the original entrance gate(s). The wall continues around the south corner in a curve and then turns and heads north-west where it becomes a low wall of coursed rubblestone with upright copings with rounded tops. The north boundary wall belongs to a neighbouring property and does not form part of the memorial.

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, 10 November 2017.