Headington Quarry War Memorial, Holy Trinity churchyard
The Headington Quarry War Memorial was designated a Grade II listed structure on 9 February 2017:
List Entry No. 1440047
This listing followed an application made under the Historic England scheme running from 2014 to 2018 to add 2,500 free-standing First World War memorials to the National Heritage List for England: see
The War Memorials Listing Project
The memorial (right) was unveiled at Holy Trinity churchyard in October 1920 by General Sir Robert Fanshawe, KCB, DSO with the Bishop of Oxford performing the dedication.
Its architect, “Mr Howard”, is presumed to be Frank Ernest Howard (1888–1934)
It was carved by Alec Millar of Chipping Camden, and was masoned and erected by E. Coppock and F. Goodgame of Headington Quarry.
A. Coppock and B. M. Hill, Headington Quarry and Shotover (Oxford University Press, 1933) record who designed, made, and carved this cross:
A War Memorial, designed by Mr. Howard of Oxford, carved by Mr. Alec Millar of Chipping Camden, and masoned and erected by Messrs. E. and F. Coppock and Goodgame (of the village), commemorates their sacrifice and deepens our ‘peace resolutions’ when we keep ‘the Silence’ each year at its base.
The memorial faces east and is made of limestone. It comprises a stone Calvary cross, decorated in the angles with fleur-de-lys, and the figure of Christ upon the cross sculpted in stone. The cross is set on a tapering octagonal column which has broach stops carved at its base. A sculpted band of what resembles intertwining branches runs around the top of the column and may represent Christ’s crown of thorns. This stands on a hexagonal pedestal, again with carved broach stops, which in turn stands on a three-stepped octagonal base.
On the front (east-facing side) of the pedestal the following dates are inscribed into the stone:
1914 – 1918
On three sides of the risers of the uppermost step is the following inscription:
TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THE MEN FROM THIS PARISH
WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR.
After the Second World War, “1939–1945” was added to right (north-facing) side of the pedestal.
This memorial bears no names: they are listed on a separate stone plaque in the church porch which refers to this cross in the churchyard.
Biographies of the men of Quarry who died, including photograph of the plaque
A postcard of this war memorial when it was new
See also:
- Database of Imperial War Museums: Headington Quarry – WW1 and WW2
- War Memorials online: Headington Quarry War Memorial
- Coppock, G. A., and Hill, B. M., Headington Quarry and Shotover (Oxford University Press, 1933), p. 64
- Oxford Journal Illustrated of 27 October 1920 (front page)
