War Memorial Cloister At Sedbergh School

SEDBERGH

SD6591 STATION ROAD, Sedbergh Town 162-1/20/435 (South side) 14/06/84 War Memorial Cloister at Sedbergh School (Formerly Listed as: BUSK LANE War Memorial Cloister at Sedbergh School)

GV II*

War memorial. 1924, by Hubert Worthington; with an addition of c1945-50. Sandstone ashlar. Built into the slope of the ground in front and below the Classroom Block (qv), so that the top forms a detached grassed forecourt to that building, with a flight of steps descending from its centre to the centre of the cloister facing south; and a memorial seat added on the north side of the forecourt a little to the north of the steps. The cloister has a wide U-plan: a 5-bay arcade flanked by short but wide 3-bay arcaded wings, all the arches round-headed. The main arcade has short square piers with a raised square panel on the front of each, moulded imposts and moulded heads to the arches with keystones run up to a continuous frieze, and a plain parapet. In the spandrels of the outer pair of arches are carved shields; the frieze is inscribed "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE", and a raised panel in the centre of the parapet is inscribed "DVRA VIRVM NVTRIX". Each wing has a large central arch flanked by smaller window arches, with a pair of lion masks in the spandrels, and a raised panel on the parapet with inscription "MDCCCCXIV" (on the left) and "MDCCCXVIII" (on the right). The return sides of the parapets continue northwards to enclose the sides of a grassed garden. Inside the cloister each bay has a dome-vaulted ceiling, and the rear wall has a central archway to the steps flanked on each side by 4 bays of blind arcading. Each blind arch contains a wreathed panel with painted lists of names, the inner four (1914-18) totalling 248 names and the outer four (1939-45) totalling 192. Aligned with the top of the steps to the forecourt is a hexagonal 2-stage stone bench with inscriptions on alternate sides of the upper stage recording the names of 3 former pupils awarded the Victoria Cross in 1941 (2nd Lieut. G.W.Gunn and Major-General J.S.Campbell, both at Sidi Resegh, and Flg.Off.Kenneth Campbell at Brest). An exceptionally well conceived war memorial of great dignity, the descendng steps serving as a metaphor of interment, but leading to light. Forms group with classroom block (qv) to north and Powell Hall to north-west (qv).

Listing NGR: SD6552691910

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, 3 February 2017.