Lutterworth War Memorial Garden, Cross and Cloister
After the First World War, in Lutterworth as in many towns and villages, a War Memorial Committee of volunteers was formed to aquire a suitable site and pay for construction of a war memorial.
The Lutterworth Memorial comprised the site at the junction of Church Street and George Street, (in the middle of which was a stone cross on a base), and a shelter, (inside which was a wall plaque listing the names being commemorated).
The memorial was constructed by local builder Peter Rourke to a design by Leicester architect W K Bedingfield, and the plaque is said to have been made in the local foundry
The Lutterworth Memorial comprised the site at the junction of Church Street and George Street, (in the middle of which was a stone cross on a base), and a shelter, (inside which was a wall plaque listing the names being commemorated).
The memorial was constructed by local builder Peter Rourke to a design by Leicester architect W K Bedingfield, and the plaque is said to have been made in the local foundry
Opening ceremony
The memorial and plaque were unveiled at a ceremony held on Tuesday, May 24th, 1921, Empire Day and Lutterworth Museum hold a copy of a booklet produced for the occasion. The ceremony was performed by the Earl of Denbigh who unveiled the cross, and the Reverend M F Alderson (Lutterworth Rector 1908-1918) who unveiled the plaque. The site and the memorial were formally handed over by the volunteers to the Parish Council to hold in perpetuity.
Roll of Honour, 1914-1918
World War Two
After World War Two the original stone cross was dismantled to allow cleaning and carving to be carried out and, on re-assembly, more stone was added to the base to achieve "a better proportion to the whole shape of the cross" and provide space for installation of two bronze plaques.
The plaques bore the names of local men who died in connection with the First and Second World Wars.
The plaques bore the names of local men who died in connection with the First and Second World Wars.
Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
Recent alterations
The past 60 years have seen many improvements to the Memorial Gardens. The most recent refurbishment in 2009 included the laying of new yorkstone slabs, placing of extra seats, the installation of lighting to illuminate the shelter and cross and a third plaque bearing the names of soldiers who have died in recent years. There was also further development of the 'Whittle corner'.