Listed Building: Kettering Parish Church War Memorial (1430845)

Summary of Building First World War memorial, 1921, alongside the parish church of St Peter and St Paul, Kettering. Reasons for Designation Kettering Parish Church War Memorial, alongside the church of St Peter and St Paul, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: Historic interest * as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in First World War. Architectural interest: * a well-executed stone Calvary, its design complementing the late medieval church and especially its north porch with figurative sculpture. Group value: * with the Grade I-listed church of St Peter and St Paul. History Kettering’s principal First World War memorial, a cenotaph (National Heritage List for England entry 1426574, listed at Grade II), stands alongside the Alfred East Art Gallery. This separate memorial cross stands nearby, alongside the town’s historic parish church of St Peter and St Paul (NHLE entry 1051642, listed at Grade I), dedicated to the members of its congregation who had died in the conflict. It may be that (as with the Cenotaph by Sir Edwin Lutyens in Whitehall) the overtly non-Christian character of the town’s cenotaph caused disquiet among at least some of the Anglican parishioners, prompting this complementary memorial with its strong Christian imagery. This suggestion is strengthened by the fact that both memorials were unveiled on the same day in 1921. The memorial was refurbished in 2011 at a cost of £20,000 and re-dedicated at that year’s Service of Remembrance by the Bishop of Brixworth. Details The memorial stands outside the north porch door to the parish church. Overall about 5m high, it comprises a Calvary carved in a shelly limestone, with a gabled crucifix atop an octagonal shaft rising from an octagonal plinth. That stands on a three-stage octagonal York stone base. The shaft bears a raised crown of thorns on its upper part with ‘HIS’ inside. On the front face of the plinth carved in raised lettering is ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL/ MEMORY OF THE MEN/ OF THIS CHURCH WHO/ DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ 1914 1918’. On the opposing face is carved ‘THE NAMES OF THOSE/ WHOM THE CROSS/ COMMEMORATES ARE/INSCRIBED ON A TABLET/ IN THE NORTH CHAPEL/ OF THIS CHURCH’.

Record last edited

Dec 13 2022 3:58PM