Beaconsfield War Memorial

War memorial, 1921 by JO Cheadle, built by Wooldridge and Simpson; moved to its present location in 1936.

MATERIALS: Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a 'lanterne des morts', recalling the medieval stone cemetery lanterns of central and southern France. A two-stage plinth, raised atop a pair of York stone steps, supports an octagonal column with a roofed Calvary in high relief on its northern face and simple blind tracery to the south, east and west. This in turn is surmounted by a square Gothic lantern with a broached pyramidal cap and a ball finial. It contains a single electric light - replacing the original four - in a frosted glass shade.

The names of the 80 dead of the First World War are inscribed in leaded lettering on eight sunken granite panels around the upper plinth. Above the panels is a carved inscription: TO THE GLORIOUS MEMORY OF THE BRAVE & TRUE / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918 / ETERNAL REST GRANT UNTO THEM O LORD / AND LET LIGHT PERPETUAL SHINE UPON THEM. A further 60 names from the Second World War are inscribed on a bronze panel on the north side of the lower plinth. On the south side is a recess containing small double-leaf oak doors with ornamental hinges, presumably giving access to the electrical connection for the light.

The paving and post-and-chain fence that surround the memorial are not original and are excluded from the listing.

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, 11 January 2017.