Otley War Memorial Cross and Memorial Garden

Heritage listing

Details First World War memorial cross, 1920, within a later garden of remembrance, 1955. PLAN: a rectangular garden with dwarf walls forming the south, east and west boundaries with the north boundary wall forming the memorial sanctuary. To the centre is a rectangular sunken garden surrounded on all sides by paved walkways leading to the war memorial cross in front of the sanctuary. Raised flower beds abut the dwarf perimeter walls. DESCRIPTION: The memorial garden stands on the north side of Bondgate and is surrounded by a number of buildings listed at Grade II. The memorial cross is located to the rear of the gardens on a paved area against the backdrop of the sanctuary. It comprises an Anglo-Saxon style cross with the front face of the cross decorated with carved portraits of animals and saints around a central boss in the cross-head. The cross surmounts a tapered shaft, rectangular in section, which has figurative designs in panels. These depict portraits of saints above a scene of a monk kneeling in front of an angel. Underneath is the inscription carved in relief which reads TO THE GLORY/ OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY/ OF THOSE FROM/ OTLEY/ WHO FELL/ IN THE WAR/ 1914 – 1918. The sides are richly decorated with carved Anglo-Saxon designs incorporating plant scrolls, plaiting and interlace, and birds and animals, and the back is similar with further portraits. The shaft is set upon a three-stepped rectangular base; the middle step bears the inscription [ILLEGIBLE] WITHIN THE CHURCH RECORDS THEIR NAMES. The memorial garden consists of a memorial sanctuary wall, sunken garden and raised flower beds enclosed by dwarf boundary walls. The sanctuary takes the form of a stepped stone wall bearing plaques in dedication to the local servicemen who died during the Second World War a

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.