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Witton Gilbert War Memorial Awarded Listed Building Status

The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has decided to add Witton Gilbert War Memorial to the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. The memorial is now listed at Grade II.

Please follow the link below to download a copy of our advice report, which gives the principal reasons for this decision. The List entry for this building, together with a map, has now been published on the National Heritage List for England, and will be available for public access from tomorrow. This List can be accessed through The Historic England website.

http://services.historicengland.org.uk/webfiles/GetFiles.aspx?av=8D454149-B7CF-4CA4-9475-922304F66A01&cn=947F16FD-87F0-4E90-8524-9D03EAE12CEE

A 60 minute guided Mindfulness walk through Witton Dene

Sensing the Seasons
A 60 minute guided Mindfulness walk through Witton Dene,
suitable for most abilities

Next walks: Fridays 10-11am
29th November
27th December
31st January 28th February 27th March

Whatever the weather,
come prepared.
FREE

To find out more, contact Gillie breath-
ingspacedurham@gmail.com
Tel: 0191 3711387 /07508 471522
Meeting place:
St Michael and All Angels
Church, Coach Lane,
Witton Gilbert, DH7 6SX

Witton Gilbert War Memorial

Histioric England is considering Listing the war Memorial as part of the commemoration of the centenary of the First World War.

This has prompted us to record some of the details, and we would like to ask the families of those who lost their lives in the conflicts commemorated on the memorial if they have photographs or family stories they can recount. Please use the contact form below. Also we hope that all of the detail in this post are correct, please let us have any corrections or futher information.

The Memorial in its current location

History
The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Witton Gilbert as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 43 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War..


222 men from Witton Gilbert joined up to serve in the war, of whom nearly 20 per cent fell. The memorial was originally erected in the Graham Memorial Park in Witton Dene. It cost £400 which was raised by public subscription. The designer was JG Burrell of Durham. It was unveiled on Saturday 2 September 1922 by Lt Col JR Ritson, TD. Large numbers of
representatives from parish and district organisations were also present.


The memorial park provided work for the unemployed but sadly suffered from vandalism even before the unveiling. After the Second World War the names of ten casualties of that war were added. During the C20 much of the old village was demolished leaving the memorial somewhat isolated. It was relocated in 1978 by members of 105 Squadron, 72 Regiment the Royal Engineers with support from the local community, and rededicated on 5 November that year. It was unveiled in its new position by Capt D Brown and rededicated by Fr Ian Hoskins.


The memorial’s original height was 23 feet, but a photograph taken in its original location shows it had a three-stepped base. It is not clear if the lower step survives in the new location, but if so it is buried beneath the paving surrounding the memorial. The relocation revealed that the memorial comprised 28 pieces, the largest of which weighed 2,800 lbs (more than 1.2 tonnes). The memorial was cleaned and the inscriptions recut in 2000.

The Memorial in its original location

Details
A First World War memorial of 1922, by JG Burrell, with later additions for the Second World War, and relocated in 1978.


MATERIALS: Stainton sandstone.
DESCRIPTION: standing in a small memorial garden accessed from Briar Lea.


The memorial faces west and comprises a cross of St Cuthbert on a tapering octagonal column with a square pedestal set on two octagonal steps. The pedestal has stopped chamfers and a hollow-moulded, tapering top. The cross-shaft has an elaborate moulded foot with recessed panels to each face and a tetrahedral band. The abacus is also moulded, and the cross has a three-stepped octagonal foot.

The inscriptions are incised. Around the bottom of the cross-shaft foot is inscribed:
GREATER/ LOVE/ HATH/ NO MAN/ THAN TO/ LAY DOWN/ HIS LIFE FOR/ HIS FRIEND.
The west face of the pedestal is inscribed: WITTON GILBERT WAR MEMORIAL/ ROLL OF HONOUR/ OF LOCAL HEROES WHO DIED/ FOR THEIR KING AND COUNTRY/ DURING THE GREAT WAR/ FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS/ LORD GRANT THEM EVERLASTING PEACE.


The rolls of honour are inscribed on the north and south faces. The names are listed by the year of death (which continue to 1920), then alphabetically by surname with rank and regiment. The east face is inscribed with the dates 1939 – 1945 and ten names listed alphabetically by surname without ranks or units.

                                         North face

                                                    1914

PTE                     George                   Moody                                   8th  D.L.I.

                                                    1915

PTE                     Gilbert                 Hodgson Robson                  8th  D.L.I.

                                                    1916

PTE                     Joseph                  Armstrong                              2nd  E.Y.

PTE                     Joseph                  Beardmore                              6th   E.Y.

PTE                     Cuthbert             Carr                                          15th D.L.I.

PTE                     Matthew             Cumming                           18th D.L.I.

PTE                     Thomas               Guy                                            27th N.F.

PTE                     Charles Joseph  Graham                                     5th   D.L.I.

PTE                     Thomas James  Goodwin                                    2nd  D.L.I.

PTE                     Herbert             Cill                                              13th D.L.I.

LCE CPL             George              Jackson                                        2nd   D.L.I.

BOMB               Richard               Lisco                                             8th   E.Y.

PTE                     Roger                 Parkin                                         20th D.L.I.

PTE                     Gibson              Snaith                                          13th D.L.I.

SERGT               Robert               Yule                                              19th D.L.I.

                                                    1917

SERGT               Arthur Ernest Clark                                       2nd   D.L.I.

PTE                     George          Craggs                                            1st    Worcester

STOKER             Thomas        Davison                                         H.M.S  SUPERB

PTE                     Arthur              Edmundson                                6th    BORD

PTE                     Ernest              Hunter                                           9th    W.Y.

PTE                     Tom Allanson Hardy                                            19th  N.F.

PTE                     Robert              Knowlson                                      8th    Y.

                                                 South face

                                                                     1917

LCE.CPL             Owen William Maule                                            25th N.F.

PTE                     Jacob              Martin                                              1/4th K.O.Y.L.I

PTE                     Alexander Logan McDonald                                   8th E.Y.

GUNNER          William Thirkell Pratt                                               5th D.L.I.

PTE                     John James      Smeatham                                    6th YORKS.

PTE                     Albert Moyes Walker                                            19th Y.

PTE                     Thomas             Brown                                              3rd N.F.

LIEUT                 William Henry Brown                                           18th D.L.I.

PTE                     John                  Godfrey                                           15th D.L.I.

PTE                     George              Johnson                                          16th CHES.

LC CPL            Thomas Gadstone Martindale                                14th D.L.I.

PTE                     Charles              Metcalf                                            20th D.L.I.

GUNNER          Simpson Turnbull Parkin                                          R.G.A

PTE                     George               Roe                                                    2nd D.L.I.

PTE                     John                   Roe                                                      A.S.C.

PTE                     George Cuthbert Raine                                          18th D.L.I.

PTE                     John                   Walton                                            15th D.L.I.

PTE                     Frederick        Wardman                                          R.C.A.

                                                    1919

PTE                     William            Wise                                                 8th D.L.I.

                                                    1920

PTE                     Henry               Overton                                           2nd  YORKS.

PTE                     Robert Wilkinson Yule                                            8th   D.L.I.

                                           East face

                                                    1939   –   1945

Bramfitt E.                                             Kelsey  G.

Burdon J.W.                                            Plank  G.W.

Carroll J.                                                 Reynolds  J.G.

Denton T.W.                                           Swinton  T.

Farnsworth R.                                      Waterson  J.W.

Websites
Full details from the North East War Memorials Project, accessed 12/11/19 from
http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=9194

Neighbourhood Plan Referendum : result

The outcome of the Referendum on the adoption of the Witton Gilbert Neighbourhood Plan was as follows:

Do you want Durham County Council to use the Witton Gilbert Neighbourhood Plan to help it decide planning applications in the Witton Gilbert neighbourhood area?

NO  votes                   56

YES votes                409

Spoiled                           1

Total votes cast  466 this represents 23% of the electorate

A 23%  turnout for a Neighbourhood Plan Refrendum can be considered the higher side of normal.

Woodland Wonders! Little Wonders activities

Children’s forest activities
★ Explore the woodland and churchyard
★ Play active outdoor games
★ Discover local wildlife
★ Learn simple green woodwork skills
★ Make crafts from natural materials
★ Listen to stories around the campfire

The activities are led
by a Level 3
Forest school qualified
facilitator

Free
Donations welcome
These activities are strictly for
2-5 years

Children must be accompanied by a
parent/carer

For further information or to
book contact:

Meeting place:
St Michael and All Angels
Church, Coach Lane,
Witton Gilbert, DH7 6SX
Booking essential
Come weather prepared
No dogs please

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN REFERENDUM ON NOVEMBER 7TH

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 7th FOR YOUR
NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

The Parish Council has been consulting on the Witton Gilbert Neighbourhood Plan since 2013 and in November2018 a pre-submission draftwas completed and submitted for inspection by an Independent Planning Inspector. The plan has since been recommended to go forward to a referendum after consultations with Durham CountyCouncil.
The Plan has taken countless hours of work and research and has at all times involved residents and it is based on your comments and views given at the well attended public meetings and feedback sessions. It is YOUR plan and it can now become formal part of the planning process with full legal status.
A formal referendum organised by the County Council will  be held on the November 7th and polling cards will be issued to all registered voters in Witton Gilbert Parish.    The Neighbourhood Plan is important to the local community as it will sit alongside the County Plan and be used to make planning decisions within the Neighbourhood area.
The aim of the plan can bebriefly expressed as follows:-
* Defines a Settlement Boundary to prevent the erosion of     the  countryside around Witton Gilbert
* Controls Housing Development within the settlement Boundary, and makes provision for affordable housing and homes for older people
* Defines a Historic Zone and helps to ensures all development or alterations within the zone are appropriate
* Encourages Sustainable design
* Protects and promotes Biodiversity within the Parish
* Defines and protects Local Green Spaces from development.
These are shown on the proposals map and include such areas as the playing fields and the allotments
* Protects and supports Community Assets, e.g. The Community Centre, Primary School, the Store and Post Office
* Encourages new and existing business, farm diversification and home working
* Encourages Community energy generation projects.
The plan will also help provide some revenue for Community projects as all Neighbourhood Plan areas get 25% of any Community
Infrastructure Levy applied to a development within the Neighbourhood area.
We encourage parishioners to read all of the information related to this plan contained on this web site or access the plan at the County Council site. There is also a hard copy deposited at Cooper Hall.
If you have any comments please use the form below

SAVE SACRISTON LANE ALLOTMENTS

The Parish Council with the full backing of the allotment holders are continuing to look at all options in an effort to save the allotments.

In September 2018 Langley Estates put up for sale 18 plots of land around Witton Gilbert including the Sacriston Lane Allotments (next to the School) currently leased to the Parish Council.
The Parish Council put in a bid to buy the allotments to preserve them for community but were unsuccessful. Their bid of £10060 was based on the recommendation of a professional valuer who advised that the site was agricultural land, with limited development potential.

The Parish Council has received 12 MONTHS NOTICE TO QUIT from the new owners.

The allotment site was acquired from Lord Lambton in 1909 following the 1908 Allotment Act. For 110 years local people have enjoyed this popular amenity which continues to welcome new members, provide healthy exercise, fresh, local food and friendship for generations of Witton Gilbert residents. The importance of the allotments is reflected in the designation of the site, as “Protected
Green Space” within the Witton Gilbert Neighbourhood Plan so its important to vote in the referendum on the 7th November.

The 48 allotment plots bring people together from a mixture of ages and backgrounds. Some are new to growing and benefit from the advice of older members of the community; others have lovingly tended their plots for decades. They share an appreciation of fresh produce and the sense of community and wellbeing that the allotments provide.

The Parish Council intend to do everything within their power to preserve this valuable resource for future generations.

Please sent your comments using the form below

comments to make on the

Halloween Party

Fancy Dress Halloween Party at Witton Gilbert Community Centre on 2nd November 2019 3PM TO 5PM!!!
Entertainment from the amazing Captain Raggy Beard. Tickets £4.

Contact
Helen on 07764897060 for
more information.