A twentieth-century memorial adopts the older civic form of a market cross on the site associated with Abernethy’s former Town House.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1920
- Architect / designer
- Mills and Shepherd
- Type
- Stone war memorial in the form of a market cross
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB20878)
- OS grid reference
- NO 19002 16363
Architecture and continuing use
An octagonal stepped base supports a chamfered shaft. Coats of arms are carved around the capital, giving the compact monument heraldic detail while preserving the instantly recognisable silhouette of a market cross. Its open position within Main Street makes it part of the public space rather than the enclosure of a churchyard.
Its story
Mills and Shepherd designed the memorial in 1920 after the First World War. The chosen site had previously held the Town House, linking modern remembrance with the civic centre of the former burgh. By using a traditional cross form, the designers inserted the new commemorative function into an older vocabulary of market authority and public gathering.
Why it is included
It records how national loss was commemorated locally and how the site of a vanished civic building retained public meaning.
What to notice
- The octagonal sequence of steps.
- Coats of arms around the capital.
- The memorial’s alignment within the historic Main Street space.
Reading the surroundings
View from the public realm without climbing the steps or touching inscriptions. Take care around traffic and do not obstruct commemorative gatherings.
Timeline
- Before 1920 The location was remembered as the site of Abernethy’s former Town House.
- 1920 Mills and Shepherd completed the war memorial in market-cross form.
- 1971 The monument entered the national list with the surrounding historic group.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The concise statutory description does not set out every inscription or later commemorative addition; these should be read and dated on site with care.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Abernethy War Memorial Cross, LB20878 — Current designation status, statutory identity, official mapped point, date, fabric and significance.
- Perth and Kinross Council: Abernethy Conservation Area Appraisal — Local-authority evidence for the settlement’s development, street pattern, landmark buildings, archaeology and conservation context.
- Trove: Abernethy War Memorial Cross — National heritage inventory entry for designation identity, mapped location, related records and available archive material.
- Perth and Kinross Council: conservation areas — Current council context confirming Abernethy as a managed conservation area and explaining the role of its appraisal.
Location
OS grid reference NO 19002 16363 · Location confidence: High for the current HES designation point; public text separately qualifies access, component identity and current use. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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