War Memorial Cross in Churchyard 30 Metres to East of Chancel is a Grade II listed building in the Dacorum local planning authority area, England. First listed on 19 March 1987. War memorial.
War Memorial Cross in Churchyard 30 Metres to East of Chancel
- WRENN ID
- narrow-corbel-gilt
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Dacorum
- Constituency
- Harpenden and Berkhamsted MP: Victoria Collins (LD)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 19 March 1987
- Type
- War memorial
- OS grid reference
- TL 029 112
- Coordinates
- 51.79066, -0.50936
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The War Memorial Cross, located in the churchyard 30 meters to the east of the chancel in Great Gaddesden, was erected around 1920 and follows a standard design by Sir Reginald Blomfield known as 'The Cross of Sacrifice'. An additional inscription was added after the Second World War (1939-1945). Made of Portland stone, the monument stands approximately 4.5 meters high and faces east. It features a tapering cross with a chamfered rectangular section and expanded ends at the top and arms. The base is moulded and sits on a tall inscribed plinth of elongated octagonal shape, which is elevated by two high steps above two low steps, all sharing a similar design.
A bronze sword, about two-thirds the height of the cross shaft, is affixed to the cross. The sword has a fluted grip, an ogee domed pommel, a simple cross-guard with a central boss and three-lobed ends, and a pronounced central rib along the blade. The primary inscription on the monument honors the local men who lost their lives in the First World War, reading: 'IN MEMORY/OF THE MEN/OF THIS PLACE/WHO FELL/IN THE/GREAT WAR/1914/1918'. At the base of the plinth, there is an additional inscription that states, 'LET US GIVE / HUMBLE THANKS / TO ALMIGHTY GOD / FOR VICTORY'. The memorial lists 18 names and regiments of those commemorated.
Local climate
War Memorial Cross in Churchyard 30 Metres to East of Chancel sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 78% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 77% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 36 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 64% of listed buildings. Of these, 17 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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