Lych Gate War Memorial At Cropwell Butler Cemetery

CROPWELL BUTLER

1799/0/10014 CROPWELL BISHOP ROAD 11-FEB-11 LYCH GATE WAR MEMORIAL AT CROPWELL BUT LER CEMETERY

II Lych gate war memorial commemorating the fallen from the First World War, erected at the entrance of Cropwell Butler Cemetery in 1920.

The lych gate is a timber-framed structure of oak resting on stone plinths. It is square in plan, with gables to the front and back with straight, moulded barge boards. The roof is clad in plain red tiles and is surmounted by a wooden Latin cross. The structure has a common rafter roof of four trusses, the first and last defined by close studding and arch braces. It has a pair of plank and batten gates with open panels at the top, flanked by straight timber wings, the posts of which have decorative finials. The eastfacing end of the two wall plates are carved with the date 1919, and the east-facing tie beam is carved with the inscription 'DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY'. Inside the lych gate, on the right hand side, there is a bronze plaque 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' (names) 'DUTY BRAVELY DONE'.

HISTORY: The lych gate memorial forms the entrance to Cropwell Butler Cemetery which had been consecrated in 1905. After the First World War the parishioners raised a subscription to replace the existing cemetery gates with the lych gate memorial which was erected in 1920. In 2009 the rotten posts resting on the stone plinth were repaired and parts of the side wings were replaced.

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REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION The lych gate war memorial in Cropwell Butler, erected in 1920, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Historic interest: the memorial has special historic interest commemorating those members of the community who died in the First World War. Given the historic function of the lych gate as a resting place for a coffin before the arrival of the officiating clergy, it is a fitting memorial to those whose final resting place is either unknown or abroad. * Architectural interest: the simple timber-framed design compares favourably with other listed examples of C20 lych gate war memorials.