War Memorial Lychgate At St Michael And All Angels Church

This is a war memorial lychgate, built after the First World War, likely in the 1920s, at the entrance to the churchyard of St. Michael and All Angels' Parish Church. It commemorates the men of Leafield who served and died in the First World War, and later, those who died in the Second World War.

The lychgate is constructed with limestone side walls supporting a pitched roof of Cotswold stone tiles, featuring decorative barge boards. A broad, single gate, with heavy iron strapwork, is flanked by substantial gateposts. These are set back from heavy, decorative scissor-braces fixed to base-plates, which are themselves braced against the stone side walls. Broad planking is visible in the upper parts of the gables, both front and rear. Inscribed on the front face is "IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THE / MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO LAID / DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR," followed by twenty names. Below this is the inscription “1939-45” accompanied by ten names.

The lychgate is valued for its historic and cultural significance as a community memorial, and for its architectural qualities as a well-crafted 1920s structure that complements the nearby listed church and village cross. It serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by the village community during the conflicts of the first half of the 20th century.