War Memorial

CREWKERNE

876-1/0/10004 SEVERALLS PARK AVENUE 11-NOV-09 War Memorial

II War memorial for the dead of the First World War. Unveiled in June 1922. Designed by Hubert Worthington (1886-1963); figure carved by F Worth.

MATERIAL: Of Cornish granite.

DESCRIPTION: It stands on two deep octagonal steps. The upper step carries the inscription: `TO THE 127 MEN OF CREWKERNE / WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 / 1918'. The pedestal consists of large blocks of stone resembling a dolmen (a megalithic tomb). The horizontal triangular capstone carries a carved granite figure of a standing infantryman which stands approximately 1.35m tall.

HISTORY: Following an appeal which was launched in 1919, the Severalls Park memorial was unveiled in June 1922 to commemorate the 127 local men who were killed during the Great War. Its design was based on the war memorial in Lelant in Cornwall. However, instead of a wheel-head cross, it is surmounted by the figure of a soldier. This was carved by F Wood of the Oxford City School of Art, though formerly of the Penzance School of Art, who was responsible for designing the Lelant memorial. Worthington's scheme also included planting 127 trees in Severalls Park in memory of the men who had died.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The war memorial in Severalls Park Avenue,Crewkerne is designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons: * An eloquent witness to the impact of tragic world events on this community * Its unusual design, made from Cornish granite, is a powerful memorial to those who died in the First World War and has particular interest for its deliberate reference to earlier, prehistoric funerary monuments * Its strong historical and cultural significance in both a local and national context.

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, 25 October 2017.