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Rededication service for newly-moved village war memorial

Finchampstead Parish Council Finchampstead War MemorialFinchampstead Parish Council
The war memorial has been dismantled. cleaned and re-erected outside Memorial Park

A newly-moved Grade II listed war memorial relocated from a busy road junction in a village to a park is set to be rededicated.

The Finchampstead War Memorial had stood at Rectory Hill, The Ridges, and Jubilee Road for more than 100 years.

The parish council decided to move it citing fears of a vehicle crashing into it and safety issues for visitors due to the three roads surrounding it.

It has been dismantled and re-erected on the edge of Memorial Park.

The parish council said it needed to be moved as it was "considered unsafe for people to visit the memorial to pay their respects".

Google Finchampstead War MemorialGoogle
The war memorial previously stood on a three-way road junction

The plan to move it was the subject of a long running battle between the parish council and the Save the Memorial Team (SMT) who wanted it to stay put, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

The memorial will be rededicated following the Remembrance Day parade and service at the village in Memorial Park on Sunday, 13 November.

The 4.4m (14ft) high Portland stone cross was unveiled on 31 October 1920 and is often referred to as the Wayside Cross.

The cost of the move was met by Community Infrastructure Levy funds and developer contributions.

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