Plaque

(lost) General Gordon's birth place - lost plaque, blue

General Gordon's birth place - lost plaque, blue
Inscription

General Charles George Gordon, born here 1833, killed at Khartoum 1885.
London County Council

{On the small blue rectangular plaque below:}
When 29 The Common, Woolwich SE18 was demolished in 1971 the above plaque was presented to the Gordon Boys’ School by the Greater London Council.

This photo comes from Mapio. These two blue plaques are on display at Gordon's School, near Woking, on the external wall of one of the buildings there. OK, not really 'lost', but certainly lost to London.

Gordon's School was founded by public subscription, at the express wish of Queen Victoria, as the National Memorial to General Gordon.

Site: General Gordon's birth place - lost plaque, blue (1 memorial)

SE18, Woolwich Common, 29

Before its demolition in 1972, this house had boasted, at different times, two plaques commemorating Gordon's birth. See General Gordon's birth place - lost plaque, oblong for the other one. The house was built as 1 Kempt's Terrace and later became 29 The Common, Woolwich. We originally thought it was a little further south.

2022: Michiel Hegener wrote to correct our assessment of the location of this house. He attached a 1893-4 map taken from p.436, "Chapter 10, Woolwich Common and Royal Military Academy Areas” published by UCL's Bartlett but we don't know any further details. This shows a row of 9 houses on the east side of Woolwich Common between Jackson Street and (what is now) Kempt Street both of which used to connect with The Common. The northern-most of these is marked no 29 (Woolwich Common), and is on the corner of the junction with Jackson Street. This 1914 map also shows the 9 houses.

The book also contains a 1962 photograph (copied here) of the 9 houses, with the one on the northern corner, Gordon’s birthplace, closest to the camera, and with a round plaque (presumably this blue one) between the two first floor windows. The two northernmost houses were completed by 1833. “The first occupants of the corner house (later No. 29) were Maj. Gen. Henry William Gordon, RA, and his wife, Elizabeth, who was the daughter of Samuel Enderby, the eminent Greenwich-based whale-oil merchant. Here their fourth son, Charles George Gordon, was born in January 1833.” The rest of Kempt’s Terrace (another 5 houses) was not completed until c.1850. (The 2 houses at the southern end are in a totally different style and were part of a later development.)

Both maps show a footpath continuing the line of Jackson Street across the Common. Today this footpath no longer exists (and why would it, with Jackson Street no longer accessible?) but the dropped kerb access to it does.

The oblong plaque was on the house at the time of that photograph, c.1920, whereas the blue one was on the house when it was photographed and still there when it was demolished, 1962-72.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
General Gordon's birth place - lost plaque, blue

Subjects commemorated i

Major General Charles George Gordon

Army officer. Made his military reputation in China. Achieved lasting fame th...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
General Gordon's birth place - lost plaque, blue

Created by i

London County Council

Prior to the LCC London matters were run by church parishes. The LCC was the ...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Herbert Asquith - NW3

Herbert Asquith - NW3

NW3, Maresfield Gardens, 27

Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, 1852 - 1928, Prime Minister, lived here. Erected by the Hampstead Plaque Fund

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Jack (Kid) Berg - Burlington Court

Jack (Kid) Berg - Burlington Court

E1, Cable Street, Burlington Court, St George's Estate

First a plaque was erected on Noble Court, then in 2012 Burlington Court was built in front of Noble Court so a new plaque had to be erec...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Henry Robertson Bowers - Sidcup

Henry Robertson Bowers - Sidcup

DA14, Carlton Road, 13

Lt, Henry R. Bowers lived here, 1891 - 1897, perished with Captain Scott in the Antarctic, 1912. Bexley Civic Society

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Foyles - William Foyle

Foyles - William Foyle

W1, Tottenham Court Road, Foyles bookshop

We found these two plaques in the basement, near the lift and stairwell.  There may be others elsewhere in the store - if you find any pl...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
John Kidd and Co.

John Kidd and Co.

E3, Wick Lane, 419, Wick Lane Wharf

The inclusion of the caretaker and his wife on this memorial is intriguing. Andrew Behan has researched these names and confirms that al...

War dead, Civilian war dead | WW2
12 subjects commemorated