War memorials awarded heritage gold standard

St Gabriel Middleton War Memorial

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Eight more war memorials in Rochdale borough have been awarded prestigious listed status by Historic England.

The status, which marks structures of particular historic and architectural significance, was awarded following an application by Rochdale Borough Council.

The newly listed memorials are:

• Bamford War Memorial, The Church of St. Michael, Bury and Rochdale Old Road, Bamford.
  Dedicated in 1920, this war memorial commemorates the 49 people from the town who were killed during both the First and Second World Wars.
• Church of St Gabriel War Memorial, St Gabriel's Church, Middleton.
  This memorial commemorates the 171 Fallen from the Parish of All Saints Middleton, who were killed during the First and Second World Wars. All names are listed by initial and surname, with the exception of one woman – Martha Scott.
• Wardle War Memorial, Memorial Gardens, Wardle Road, Wardle.
  Wardle War Memorial commemorates the 106 fallen from the town who were killed during both the First and Second World Wars and stands as a permanent testament to their sacrifice.
• Church of All Saints' War Memorial, All Saints' Church, Manchester Old Road, Middleton. This war memorial was erected to commemorate the men of the Parish of All Saints' Middleton, who died during the First World War.
• Norden War Memorial, Edenfield Road, Rochdale.
  Norden War Memorial commemorates the 98 fallen from the town who were killed during both the First and the Second World Wars and stands as a permanent testament to their sacrifice.
• Shore Mill War Memorial, Shore Road, Littleborough.
• Shore Mill War Memorial was erected by the employees of Shore Mill during the 1920s, to commemorate the sacrifice made by their fellow workers during the First World War. Further names were added to the memorial after the Second World War, recording a total of 63 fallen workers.
• Alkrington and Providence War Memorial, Manchester New Road, Middleton.Alkrington and Providence War Memorial was erected in 1929 to commemorate the 11 fallen from the Salem congregations, who fell during the First World War and to record the union of Salem and Alkrington chapels. An additional plaque has been added to the base to record the eight fallen members of the congregation, who were killed during the Second World War.
• Birch-in-Hopwood War Memorial, Church of St Mary, Birch-in-Hopwood, Langley Lane, Middleton.
  Birch-in-Hopwood War Memorial commemorates the 36 fallen from the village who were killed during both the First and the Second World War and stands as a permanent testament to their sacrifice. 

The newly listed memorials, all of which have been given grade II status, join the many other war memorials in the borough which already have the coveted status, including the Edwin Lutyens-designed cenotaph in Rochdale Memorial Gardens, which was upgraded from Grade II to Grade I in 2015.

Councillor Alan McCarthy, the council’s lead member for the Armed Forces, said: “The borough’s war memorials are a lasting tribute to the fallen men and women who died fighting to protect our freedom and liberty. It’s a touching gesture from Historic England to list these iconic and moving monuments which help to ensure we will never forget.”

The listings are also part of a Historic England project, launched in 2014 to mark the centenary of the First World War, to add 2,500 war memorials to the list by 2019.

The project is designed to commemorate the role of communities across the country in the conflict.