Lych Gate War Memorial At Cropwell Butler Cemetery

The lych gate war memorial stands at the entrance to Cropwell Butler Cemetery, erected in 1920 to commemorate those who died in the First World War. This timber-framed structure is built of oak and rests upon stone plinths. It is square in plan, with gabled front and back elevations featuring straight, moulded bargeboards. The roof is covered in plain red tiles and topped with a wooden Latin cross. The roof structure comprises four trusses with close studding and arch braces on the first and last trusses. It incorporates a pair of plank and batten gates with open panels at the top, flanked by straight timber wings with decorative finials to the posts. The east-facing wall plates are carved with the date 1919, and the east-facing tie beam bears the inscription 'DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY'. A bronze plaque is located inside the lych gate on the right-hand side, inscribed with "TYTHBY-CUM-CROPWELL BUTLER THIS LYCH GATE IS ERECTED IN MEMORY OF THE FOLLOWING MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 -1919" followed by a list of names and the words “DUTY BRAVELy DONE”. The cemetery itself was consecrated in 1905, and the lych gate replaced the original cemetery gates following a parish subscription raised after the First World War. In 2009, the decaying posts on the stone plinths were repaired, and sections of the side wings were replaced. The memorial is designated at Grade II for its historic interest as a commemoration of those who died in the First World War, and its architectural interest as a well-designed example of a 20th-century lych gate war memorial.