SCATTERED across England in city squares and public parks are 44 First World War memorials designed by Thursley-bred architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.

To mark Remembrance Sunday, all Lutyens’ First World War free-standing memorials are now protected by listing.

The department for Culture, Media and Sport, on the advice of Historic England, have just listed Lutyens’ Gerrards Cross memorial building in Buckinghamshire.

In addition, 14 memorials have had their listing status upgraded and the rest honoured with fitting descriptions on the National Heritage List for England.

Five of Lutyens’ memorials have been upgraded to Grade I, and join his Grade I Cenotaph in Whitehall and Grade I Arch of Remembrance in Leicester.

The announcement brings to light Lutyens’ war memorials as a previously unrecognised national collection, a legacy Historic England likens to that of Wren’s churches or Nash’s Regency terraces.

Seven of Lutyens’ memorials are now Grade I listed – representing half of the total number of all Grade I war memorials in England.

Tracey Crouch, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Heritage, said: "The commemoration of the First World War Centenary has inspired people all over England to remember our shared history. 

“Our war memorials provide a lasting legacy for those who sacrificed so much and I’d encourage anyone to nominate their local memorials for listing and preserve them for generations to come."

Roger Bowdler, director of listing at Historic England, said: “Lutyens was a key figure in determining how the dead and missing should be commemorated. His designs are admired for the universality of their message.

“His pure architectural forms are mute symbols of grief, the simple inscriptions weighted with sorrow. These are enduring memorials, which show the power of classical architecture to convey meaning and dignity.

“We are also very grateful to volunteers who have helped us with these new listings – a new form of partnership.”

Historic England has pledged to list a total of 2,500 war memorials over the centenary of the First World War. To do this we need members of the public to put their war memorials forward for listing. 

This is all part of a wider partnership it has forged with War Memorials Trust, Civic Voice and the Imperial War Museums to help communities discover, care for and conserve their local war memorials.

Working with enthusiastic volunteers across the country, the programme is providing up to £2 million in grants for war memorial repair and conservation and hundreds of workshops to teach people how to record their memorials and put them forward for listing. 

Historic England’s goal is to see as many war memorials as possible are in a fitting condition for the centenary, and they remain cherished local landmarks for generations to come.

For more information on listing visit the website www.historicengland.org.uk/listingwarmemorials.