Almondsbury War Memorial

The Almondsbury War Memorial, designed by Sir J Ninian Comper, was built around 1919. It was damaged by bombing in 1940 and subsequently restored in 1952. Constructed from local stone, the memorial features a tall octagonal column topped with a castellated design and a carved crucifixion facing west. The column stands on a plinth with a chamfered top and stops at four corners. The plinth is inscribed with the following text: "THANKS BE TO GOD/ WHICH GIVETH US THE VICTORY/ THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST/ SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF/ (NAME)/ AND OF ALL WHOSE NAMES ARE HERE RECORDED/ WHO HAVE DIED FOR KING AND COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918."

On the south-west side of the cross, remnants of the original octagonal base can be seen, with three sides surviving from the four deep steps. On the north-east side, accessible by stone steps, there is a semi-circular paved terrace with coursed stone rubble retaining walls. Almost every paving stone is inscribed with the name, regiment, and date of death of those who fell in both the First and Second World Wars. The uppermost step bears an inscription in relief that reads: "THIS MEMORIAL CROSS DESTROYED BY/ ENEMY BOMBS IN 1940 WAS RESTORED/ BY THE PEOPLE OF ALMONDSBURY IN 1952/ THE NAMES OF THOSE FROM THE PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THE CAUSE/ OF FREEDOM IN THE WORLD WAR 1939 - 1945/ ARE RECORDED ON EITHER SIDE OF THIS/ STONE IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THEIR/ SACRIFICE."