What form does the Ruabon war memorial take?

It is a lychgate at the entrance to St Mary's churchyard, designed by T. H. Hogg and built of local Cefn stone and Wynnstay oak, dedicated on 31 October 1920.

Whose names are on the memorial?

Marble slabs within the lychgate carry the names, ranks and regiments of parish men who died in the First and Second World Wars.

Is there another war memorial nearby?

Yes, St Mary's churchyard also holds a memorial to former pupils of Lindisfarne College who died in the two world wars.

The Ruabon War Memorial

A Memorial in the Form of a Gate

Ruabon's war memorial takes an unusual form: rather than a cross or statue, it is a lychgate standing at the entrance to St Mary's Church, commemorating the men of the parish who died in the First and Second World Wars. It was designed by the Wrexham architect T. H. Hogg and built from local Cefn stone, quarried in the district described in Cefn Mawr, together with oak from the Wynnstay estate — tying the memorial physically to both the landscape and the family described in The Williams Wynn Family.

Dedication and Inscriptions

The gate was dedicated on 31 October 1920, in the wave of memorial-building that followed the First World War across Britain. Marble slabs set within the structure carry the names, ranks, regiments and, in many cases, ages of the parish's war dead — a level of individual detail that makes the memorial an important genealogical as well as commemorative record for families researching Ruabon ancestors.

The Wider Churchyard Memorials

St Mary's churchyard also holds a separate memorial to former pupils of Lindisfarne College, a school associated with the parish, who died in the two world wars, recorded on the Imperial War Museum's War Memorials Register alongside the parish lychgate itself. Together, the two memorials reflect how deeply the losses of both wars touched every layer of the local community, from village families to the boarding school.

Visiting the Memorial

The lychgate remains in everyday use as the churchyard's main entrance rather than being fenced off as a monument, so visitors pass beneath it on the way to St Mary's Church itself. It is best combined with a visit to the church and its medieval effigies, and sits a level, five-minute walk from Ruabon railway station.

Practical Information

The lychgate is freely accessible at any time, as the main entrance to St Mary's churchyard, which is open during daylight hours year-round. A Remembrance Sunday service is held locally each November; check with the church or Ruabon Community Council for the current year's timing. The memorial and churchyard are a level, accessible walk from the village centre and station.