London Remembers

Marie-Louise Christophe Marie-Louise Christophe, 1778 - 1851, first and only queen of Haiti, lived in this house with her daughters in 1824. Nubian Jak Community Trust Fanm Rebèl and the Haitian Chamber of Commerce in the GB...

The first and only queen of Haiti, who died 175 years ago today, lived briefly in Marylebone.

Beryl Swain Beryl Swain, 22 January 1936 - 15 May 2007, the first woman to ride solo in the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race, lived here from 1962 to 1963. Waltham Forest Heritage.

International Woman's Day: let's honour the first woman to compete in the Isle of Man TT race. Result: an immediate ban on women (via a min. weight limit) which lasted for 16 years.

Garretts, Agnes and Rhoda Rhoda Garrett, 1841 - 1882, Agnes Garrett, 1845 - 1935, interior decorators and suffragists, lived, worked and died here. English Heritage

International Woman's Day: Suffragists and cousins, Rhoda and Agnes Garrett opened the first interior design company in Britain to be run by women.

Covid sculpture - Shield Totem This ten-foot high sculpture, 'Shield Totem', features a cascade of facemasks mounted on a fluted marble base. Source: RCP.

Covid Day of Reflection: A cascade of facemasks commemorate the doctors, more than 50, who died from Covid.

City of London Tavern and the RNLI {Below the RNLI logo:} Lifeboats On this site, where formerly stood the City of London Tavern, the Royal National Life Boat Institution was founded as a voluntary body at a meeting held on 4th March, ...

The RNLI was founded today, 1824, at the London Tavern, which was NOT where the plaque says it was.

Labour Party founded This is a very non-standard Greater London Council plaque, in two ways: its physical manifestation (neither round and blue, nor rectangular and blue) and its location (well within the boundary of the ...

The Labour Party was founded today in 1900. This memorial breaks all the plaque rules and has survived the demolition of its host building, twice.

James Barry - 1st plaque To date, no image of this plaque has been found. We thank Steve Roffey for his work on the history of this plaque. See also Wikipedia’s page of lost English Heritage plaques.

The painter James Barry died today 220 years ago. More than 80 years later a plaque was erected on his house, which was demolished 40-odd years later. Result: another lost plaque. There is a contemporary drawing of the dilapidated house.

Back story: they chose a grey but when the gates were painted they didn't like it and are now considering other, darker greys. But it's definitely going to be grey.

Harry Tate - SW17 It is likely that the plaque was retrieved by English Heritage for possible future reuse on another building - its inscription being usefully non-specific as to date or location.  The photo of the pl...

Comedian Harry Tate died today in 1940. Erected in 1984, this plaque disappeared when the house was demolished in the 1990s.

Sir Joseph Banks - W1 When the plaque was erected the house was occupied by the National Hospital for Diseases of the Heart. When the house was demolished in 1937 the plaque was retrieved and is now held at the (not open t...

This plaque was erected today in 1911. In 1937 when that building was demolished, English Heritage retrieved the plaque.

Elegant signage. (Old Seacoal Lane)

Helena Mott The date on the plaque is the date of Mott's death. The poetry is Mott's own. The plaque is after a design by Rex Whistler, may well have been made by Doultons, and was erected by the Mott family on t...

Mott died 75 years ago today and her family erected this lovely plaque on her house, which bears some of her poetry.

Holocaust tree - E8 The quote 'Commandment number one ...' is from David Grayson, the pen name of Ray Stannard Baker.

This year we commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day with this tree in Hackney.

Daniel Price Pontifex Photographed in 2020 this plaque, to an event over 20 years ago, is clearly being looked after.

On Australia Day we remember a young Australian, killed by London traffic.

John Logie Baird - Frith Street - LCC In 1926 in this house John Logie Baird, 1888 - 1946, first demonstrated television. London County Council

100 years ago today John Logie Baird demonstrated the world's first mechanical television system.

Sir George Edwards Sir George Edwards, 1908 - 2003, the internationally famous aircraft designer, who was responsible for both the Concorde and the Vickers Viscount, was born here, above his father's toyshop. As a boy h...

Concorde entered service today 50 years ago. The British team in this Anglo-French project was led by Sir George Edwards.

King George V Jubilee at Westminster School Below the lion's head roundel are 5 nozzles.  We were there on an extremely hot August day and would have welcomed the sound of water.  Perhaps the fountain plays when the students are in occupation.

King George V died 90 years ago today. Queen Elizabeth's grandfather, he reigned for 16 years; we've found 40 memorials for him.

Metropolitan Streets Act The sign is badly worn at the bottom. There may originally have been many similar signs around the city but this is the only surviving one we've found. It must have been erected after January 1901, as...

Politician Aretas Akers-Douglas died 100 years ago today but really we just wanted to show you this plaque….

St Saviour's Church House foundation stone To the glory of God this corner stone of St Saviour's Church House was laid by the Lord Bishop of Kensington on June 12 1909. Revd. W. Templeton King - Vicar R. H. Saunders, E. Pinhey - acting churchw...

St Saviour's Church House Ealing is an atmospheric place to visit, even without access to the interior.

Graham Chapman - EC1 Chapman's difficult career choice presented itself in 1963-4 so that must be when the royal career advice was proffered.

Graham Chapman would have been 85 today. As a young man he appears to have taken career advice from the Queen Mother.

Madge Vaidya and the 1928 flood Madge Vaidya, 1907-1996, in recognition of her exceptional bravery and life-saving actions during the devastating flood of London in 1928. Nubian Jak Community Trust London Borough of Hammersmith &amp...

98 years ago today a large section of London was flooded and in Fulham one woman bravely rescued 3 people from drowning.

Roger Keith 'Syd' Barrett Roger Keith 'Syd' Barrett (1946 - 2006) musician and co-founder of Pink Floyd, lived here 1966 - 1967. Seven Dials Trust

'Syd' Barrett of Pink Floyd would have been 80 today.

We wish the world a truthful, honourable and peaceful 2026.

Ho Ho Ho and a Merry Christmas, everyone!

Mendelssohn sundial The terracotta base is decorated with Tudor roses.  The original sundial was 'scored with a part-notation of the music'. Over time the condition of the monument deteriorated. The bronze sundial was l...

1942 the Mendelssohns stayed in Dane House, one of 8 houses lost when Ruskin Park was created.

Wright’s Dairy - King's Road, 352 London Remembers is a website aiming to capture all memorials in London

Wright's dairy in Chelsea used to advertise each outlet with a sculpted cow's heads.

Call us judgemental, but this is ugly, isn't it? But someone liked it enough to allow it to be built; someone even *paid* for it to be built!

Ada Lovelace statue The statue is based on the painting in the Government Art Collection. The punch cards that we handled many moons ago were not connected to each other. They were kept together with elastic bands and y...

Ada Lovelace was born 210 years ago today. Daughter of Lord Byron, she is now acknowledged as a rare, early computer pioneer (note the punched cards behind her).

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius, 1865 - 1957, composer, lived here in 1909. English Heritage

Born 160 years ago today, just 2 days after what was to become Finland's National Day, Sebelius is considered Finland's greatest composer.

Tancred Borenius The plaque was unveiled by the Finnish Ambassador, H. E. Ms Päivi Luostarinenon.

Independence Day in Finland so a good day to publish Borenius who was an art historian and a British spy.