War Memorial at the junction of the A3400 and the B4439

732/0/10041

HOCKLEY HEATH War Memorial at the junction of the A3400 and the B4439

30-AUG-07

II A war memorial of 1921, designed by Bateman and Bateman of Birmingham and carved by John White. Of Portland stone, with bronze gnomons to the sundials. It has a triangular, stepped plinth and base, both of which have chamfered corners. This is connected by small volutes at the corner to a column, of no specific order, with a base and capital with Renaissance motifs, including further volutes to the three corners and cherubs heads. The triangular block above this has sundials to each face and chamfered corners. Above its dentilled cornice the body tapers and culminates in a finial in the form of a seated lion. A sculpted garland of bay leaves is twined around the body of the column, which has entasis. The three sundial faces are each different and each has a differently shaped bronze gnomon. Two sides of the base bear the names of the fallen. The third is inscribed TO THE GLORIOUS DEAD/IN HONOURED MEMORY/OF THE MEN /OF THIS DISTRICT/WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/FOR THEIR KING/AND COUNTRY/IN THE GREAT WAR/1914-1918/AND IN THE WORLD WAR/ 1939-1945. Carved above the three sundial faces are THE DAYS WERE SHORT and THE WORK GREAT and THEIR TIME PASSED AWAY LIKE A SHADOW.

HISTORY: The war memorial was funded by a committee of subscribers at a cost of approximately £450. The site was given by the Chesshire family. It was built in memory of the men who died in the First World War who lived in a radius of two miles, which included the parishes of Lapworth, Nuthurst, Packwood and part of the parish of Tanworth. The architects were the firm of Bateman and Bateman of Birmingham and it is likely that the senior partner, C. E. Bateman who had responsibility for church designs was likely to have also designed war memorials such as this. The work was executed by John White and Sons, Sculptors, of Yardley. It was unveiled by Colonel Sir William Bowater, J. P., D. L. and was dedicated by the Reverend Canon J.A.Binnie on 2nd April, 1921.

SOURCES: Andy Foster, Pevsner Architectural Guides (2005)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION: The War Memorial at Hockley Heath is designated Grade II for the following principal reasons:

• The memorial commemorates the dead from two World Wars of Hockley Heath and surrounding villages.
• It is a design of distinct architectural quality by the noted local practice of Bateman and Bateman.
• The memorial adds considerably to the urban texture at the centre of the village.

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, 18 January 2017.