Plaque

Lord Byron - Westminster plaque, P4

Erection date: 4/10/2012

Inscription

Lord Byron, widely regarded as one of the greatest British poets was born here, 22 January 1788.
"Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine."
City of Westminster
John Lewis Partnership
 

Unveiled on National Poetry Day by JLP MD Simon Fowler and Westminster Mayor Cllr Angela Harvey. Lots of websites agree that the "Always laugh" quote is Lord Byron but not one gives a source and we can't locate it.

Site: Lord Byron (3 memorials)

W1, Holles Street, John Lewis

The first ever official plaque was placed by the (Royal) Society of Arts on house number 16 in 1867 but the building was demolished in 1889 and that plaque, P1, lost. We understand that 'old Mr John Lewis' erected a plaque, P2, on his premises before WW2 but the building was bombed in 1940 and that plaque lost as well. The next plaque erected, P3, was, we believe, the non-standard one that we have here, and which we rather liked, just because it is so non-standard. However, on 4 October 2012 a new, standard, green Westminster plaque, P4, was unveiled and, sadly, the non-standard one was removed. Our colleague and John Lewis mole, Alan, is trying to discover its whereabouts. We've left it here so you can at least see what it looked like.

2024: The Guardian published this lovely design painting for the first, P1, plaque.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Lord Byron - Westminster plaque, P4

Subjects commemorated i

Lord Byron

Born Holles Street, baptised at St Marylebone church in the same year. Spent ...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Lord Byron - Westminster plaque, P4

Created by i

John Lewis Partnership

Retail group. Founded by John Spedan Lewis after his father John Lewis gave h...

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Westminster City Council

The ancient parish of St Margaret's was divided into St Margaret's and St Joh...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Lord Byron - Westminster plaque, P4

Also at this site i

Lord Byron - first blue plaque, P1

Lord Byron - first blue plaque, P1

Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), poet, lived here. LCC

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Lord Byron - non standard plaque, P3

Lord Byron - non standard plaque, P3

Lord Byron was born here 1788.

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