Nailsworth War Memorial Cross

The Nailsworth War Memorial Cross is a war memorial designed by Thomas Falconer, Harold Baker and F J Bligh Bond, constructed in 1920/1 from local limestone. It takes the form of a Celtic cross with carved strap work, set within a lenticular-shaped enclosure on rising ground, incorporating a screen wall with inscriptions. The tapering, square-section shaft is set directly into the square base. A bronze plaque on the lower part of the shaft commemorates twenty-seven men from World War II, listing their rank, name, service or regiment, and decorations. The base of the cross has a metal plaque inscribed: "IN GRATEFUL & AFFECTIONATE / MEMORY / OF THE MEN OF NAILSWORTH / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / FOR KING AND COUNTRY / IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1919 /& THE WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945 / THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE." Metal plaques on the flanking sides of the base list the rank, name, service or regiment, and decorations of 39 commemorated individuals on each plaque. An additional, smaller metal plaque on the Church Street facing side commemorates a local serviceman killed in Afghanistan in 2010. A small planter is incorporated below the base, within a wider plinth. The memorial stands on a lenticular-shaped area of paving, approached by a flight of stone steps due to the rising ground. The area is enclosed by a curved, stone screen wall to the rear, carrying inset stone tablets inscribed with the names of the seventy-six casualties of the First World War. Rock-faced limestone walls extend to either side of the plot, with metal railings and two gates at the front.