Crich Stand is a memorial tower, originally erected in 1923 to the memory of the members of the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire) Regiment who died in the First World War. Further dedications extend this to members of the regiment who perished during the Second World War and up until 1970, and to those who died serving in the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment from 1970 to 2007 and the Mercian Regiment since 2007.[1]
The current memorial tower stands on the site of an observatory, also called Crich Stand, that was built in 1788 at the cost of £210 and rebuilt by Francis Hurt in 1851. It stands on the top of a limestone cliff overlooking the village of Crich in the English county of Derbyshire.[2] It is 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, and has 52 steps to the top. From there eight counties can be seen, including landmarks such as the Humber Bridge and Lincoln Cathedral.[citation needed]
The current tower is a grade II* listed building and contains fabric from these earlier towers. It is in gritstone on a square coped sandstone platform with a wrought iron enclosure. The tower is circular, and at the top is an arcaded lantern with fluted Doric columns, a circular stone frieze, and a cornice beneath a dome with a flaming finial. At the base of the tower is a doorway with an inscribed lintel and a pediment with a bronze wreath, over which is the regimental insignia of the Sherwood Foresters and dates. Also on the tower are bronze plaques with inscriptions relating to the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ "History of the Memorial". crich-memorial.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Crich Stand (Sherwood Foresters Regimental Memorial)". Historic England. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ Hartwell, Clare; Pevsner, Nikolaus; Williamson, Elizabeth (2016) [1978]. Derbyshire. The Buildings of England. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-300-21559-5.