Jacksdale War Memorial

The Jacksdale War Memorial was constructed in 1921 to designs by monumental masons Beresford & Son. It is located prominently in the centre of the village, at the junction of Main Road and Wagstaff Lane, set on a traffic island bordered by a modern, low iron bar fence which is excluded from the listing.

The memorial is approximately 4.4 metres tall and has a square plan. It is built on a Stancliffe stone plinth with corner pilasters, a dentilled capstone, and a carved relief of a memorial wreath on the north-west facing elevation. A shallow, stepped platform sits atop the plinth, surmounted by a sculpted figure of a First World War British soldier, looking ahead and supporting a rifle which rests on the ground. This sculpture, along with the upper step of the platform, was replaced in 2009 with a replica carved from Portland stone; the original was of Carrara marble.

After 1945, slate panels were fixed to the four sides of the plinth to accommodate the names of those who fell in the Second World War (1939-45). The north-west facing panel is inscribed with the dates of the First World War (1914-18), the epitaph “BY THEIR SACRIFICE WE LIVE”, and the names of 48 men from Pye Hill, Jacksdale and Westwood who died in that conflict. Beneath this are the dates of the Second World War and the names of 20 of the fallen, with the epitaph “WE WILL REMEMBER THEM”. The other three sides of the plinth feature slate panels listing the names of 255 men who served in the First World War, headed “SERVED, 1914 – 1918.” These slate panels replaced earlier Carrara marble versions, which matched the material of the original soldier monument. The inscriptions on these replacement panels are the same as on the original, apart from the Second World War additions.

The paved area around the memorial and the modern iron-bar fence are excluded from the listing as they do not possess special architectural or historic interest.