War Memorial

The village stocks were once on this green beneath two very old elm trees. A whitebeam was planted in 1997 to replace the last stock elm (before Dutch Elm disease, elms were an intrinsic part of the landscape). The houses surrounding the green and extending down Pauls Hill are the oldest in the conservation area.

The War Memorial stands as tribute to those who died in the First World War. It was erected in 1922 and dedicated by Field Marshal Sir William Robertson. The names of those killed in the Second World War were added after 1945.

The red telephone box was listed in 1989. It was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935.

Although the houses surrounding the Green are not open to the public, the exteriors give ample clue to their history. Of interest may be the 16th and 18th century listed cottages by the roadside on Pauls Hill. Stone Cottage and Nos 1-3 Church Cottages are of flint with brick dressings which conceal earlier timber-framing. There are many old chimneys on top of the old tile roof which include an example of triple-shafted brick. Nos. 5 and 6 Church Cottages are 17th century.

Copyright:  Miles Green

In 2021 the Gilbert Scott telephone box on the green at the top of Pauls Hill near Holy Trinity Church was converted to a History Tardis to tell the history of Penn Village. Take your children for a history walk and explore the historic centre of Penn.