A MEMORIAL to a war hero in St Austell could be on the move again — though concerns have been raised about its relocation.

Proposals have been put forward to move the Grade II listed horse trough which commemorates Captain Thomas Agar‐Robartes — who, as well as being a soldier, was also an MP for St Austell.

Captain Agar-Robartes was the eldest son of the 6th Viscount Clifden, of Lanhydrock House, near Bodmin, and between 1906 and his death in 1915, he served as an MP, first for Bodmin and later for St Austell.

As a captain in the 1st Battalion of the Coldstream Guards during the First World War, Captain Agar-Robartes was injured in the Battle of Loos in September 1915. Days later, he was fatally hurt rescuing a wounded comrade, an act which saw him recommended for the Victoria Cross.

Members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons subscribed towards a bench and trough in St Austell in his memory, and in November 1922, the memorials were unveiled on the corner of Park Road and Truro Road by the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall. Photographs of the unveiling ceremony outside the adjacent recreation ground still survive.

Decades later, in 1998, because of concerns the granite trough could be damaged by passing traffic, it was moved around 500 metres to near the Restormel Borough Council offices off Penwinnick Road.

Meanwhile, the memorial bench is still sited in its original location where decorative paving in front of the seat marks where the trough stood.

The former council offices have now been knocked down in preparation for redevelopment off Penwinnick Road and developer Treveth is seeking listed building consent to have the trough memorial moved from Dithmarschen Way to the Truro Road recreation ground.

However, Historic England has raised concerns about the potential moving of the trough and says “a robust justification for its proposed relocation should be provided”.

If the move takes place, the trough will be back within 25 metres of its original location.

The trough is in the form of a classical sarcophagus, set on a plinth. In front of the trough is a fixed bronze plaque which records that it formed part of the memorial to Captain Agar‐Robartes.

Historic England says of the memorial: “Despite being modest in scale, it is a well-executed and powerful memorial that recognises the sacrifices of Agar-Robartes.

“The special architectural and historic interest of the trough was recognised in its current position at a national level in 2018, when it was added to the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) at grade II. This level of designation warrants every effort to preserve it. The memorial bench was listed separately in 2017 at grade II.”