Our Secretary has sent us an update on the future of this small but significant memorial. It’s good to see that our Monument of the Month series can be useful!

In July 2018 the Bedlam War Memorial, in the village of Titterstone, Shropshire, was Monument of the Month.

In October 2020 a planning application was made to erect a single dwelling on the plot occupied by the memorial and dilapidated, corrugated iron, single room building. The building was thought to be the reading room of the adjacent Wesleyan Methodist Chapel – the chapel has been converted to a house.

In a personal capacity, I contacted the War Memorial Trust and copied my letter to the Shropshire Council Planning Department. The planning application did not mention the memorial, nor a public footpath that might also have been affected by the proposed development. The Conservation Officer of the War Memorials Trust contacted the Shropshire Planning Office expressing the view that the WMT would expect custodianship of the memorial to be defined. Shropshire Council’s Conservation Officer also expressed concern as it appeared that the size of the plot made it likely that there would be an impact on the memorial. It was also stated there had been no assessment of the corrugated iron building.

November 2020 the War Memorial was Grade II listed and at the end of the month the planning application was withdrawn.  Whether or not another application will be made remains to be seen!

Hilary Wheeler