War Memorial

Cadw's description

Location

Situated diagonally set to main road, in corner of the grounds of Church House, by the road running SE to the former railway station.

History

1925-6 First World War Memorial by Segar Owen of Warrington and London (architect to Lord Lever at Port Sunlight, Cheshire). Built by J. M. Jones of Amlwch. Unveiled in 1926, after considerable discussion about the form a memorial should take. A Memorial Hall was opened the same year. The site for the memorial was donated by the Trustees of the Vaynol Estate and the directors of the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company. A plaque was added subsequently to commemorate the dead of the 1939-45 war.

Exterior

Clock tower in Anglesey granite, rock-faced to main part, but ashlar to top clock-stage and cap. Square plan with chamfered angles. Plinth, shaft and clock-stage. Plinth and shaft are rock-faced, cut-back at leading angles. Main front inset bronze plaque, recessed with rebated upper angles. Inscription to the dead of the 1914-18 war with the dedication in both Welsh and English. Above is recessed gilded cross. Below is added bronze plaque to 19 men killed in the 1939-45 war. The N and S sides have smaller inset bronze rectangular plaques with names of 46 men killed in the First World War. Rear has painted ledged door presumably for access to clock mechanism. Ashlar clock stage is set back with coved plinth, four round clock-faces and laurel pendants on each chamfered angle. Moulded pediments above and ogee square dome with fishscale carved bands, topped with bronze cross.

Under the S face at ground level is a slate plaque to a soldier of the Welch Guards killed in Scotland on 24 February 1981.

Reason for designation

A handsome memorial clock-tower by an important early C20 architect.