Plaque

Senate House

Inscription

This stone was laid by His Majesty King George V on the twenty-sixth day of June 1933 in the twenty-fourth year of his reign. Her Majesty Queen Mary being present on the occasion.

The University has a grainy film of the ceremony when this stone was unveiled. It was a very grand occasion, attended by 3,000 people including Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, the Archbishop of Canterbury and representatives of education from all over the world. The King and Queen arrived in a horse-drawn carriage and first inspected a guard of honour. There was a procession of men in mortar-boards and ermine gowns. All for the laying of a foundation stone.

As part of the ceremony the King packed and buried a casket containing newspapers of the day, a programme of the event, etc. It also contains a 1933 penny, one of only about 8 that were minted. The Royal Mint had decided that no pennies were need for the currency that year and so the only pennies that were minted were for burying under buildings, plus one or two for museums. Thus the penny in this casket is worth a "pretty penny" (sorry). We've heard that the casket is buried very deep, not just behind the foundation stone - that would be stupid.

Site: Senate House (1 memorial)

WC1, Malet Street

Senate House and the surrounding buildings were planned as phase 1 of a huge complex which would have taken in all the land to the north between Malet Street and Woburn Square, up to Byng Place. Senate House was built as, and remains, the administrative centre for the University of London.

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:
Senate House

Subjects commemorated i

Senate House

The first purpose-built home and administrative centre for the University of ...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Senate House

Created by i

King George V

Reigned: 1910 - 1936.  Born third in line to the throne, after his father (wh...

Read More

Queen Mary (consort)

Wife of George V, grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II. Born Princess Victoria M...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

County Hall - London government

County Hall - London government

SE1, Belvedere Road, County Hall

Designed as offices for London government, the building was opened in 1922 by King George V. We think it very likely that these plaques,...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Biggin Hill Royal Air Force Station

Biggin Hill Royal Air Force Station

TN16, Main Street

Site of Biggin Hill Royal Air Force Station 1917 - 1992. The London Borough of Bromley

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
IC - Archimedes

IC - Archimedes

SW7, Imperial College Road, Observatory Road, Chemistry RCS

From the Imperial College website: The Royal College of Science building was completed in 1906 ….. The building was designed by architect...

1 subject commemorated
Bobby Moore - Waverley Gardens

Bobby Moore - Waverley Gardens

IG 11, Waverley Gardens, 43

Bobby Moore, 1941 - 1993, captain of the world cup-winning England football team, lived here. English Heritage

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Festing Road residents killed in WW1

Festing Road residents killed in WW1

SW15, Festing Road, Between 27 and 29

The first quotation is adapted from 'For the Fallen' by Laurence Binyon The second quotation is adapted from Wilfred Owen's 'Spring Offen...

War dead | WW1
4 subjects commemorated, 3 creators