Mural

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Siddons

Inscription

{On the plaque attached to the plinth:}
Sarah Siddons

Siddons lived at Westbourne Green, 1805 - 17, and is buried in St Mary’s Churchyard.

Site: St Marys parish hall - Paddington (6 memorials)

W2, St Mary's Square, Blossom Lower School

This 1981 Quinlan Terry building was originally the vestry or parish hall. It is decorated with trompe l'oeil statuary, 2 items on each of the four sides. Starting at the east end of the northern face, anti-clockwise: urn with "Alumno Fides" and the date 1981; William Hogarth; unknown 1; unknown 2; unknown 3; urn with no text; Sarah Siddons; Emma Hamilton.

Our ever-helpful Latin consultant, David Hopkins, suggests a good translation of "Alumno Fides" would be something like "A child deserves our trust", which must refer to the use of the building for educating children.

In the spirit of the artwork we have classified these memorials as statues. The trick of the eye works well and one is briefly fooled. However the modelling of the faces is less professional - perhaps that is a quite different skill.

We cannot find the name of the artist and three of the statues are unidentified, or the name has washed away. They presumably each have some connection with the locality and are probably based on well-known images. Via the school we have contacted the vicar but received no response. Please contact us if you can help identify the unknowns.

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:
St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Siddons

Subjects commemorated i

Sarah Siddons

Actress. Born Brecon, Wales, eldest sister of Charles Kemble. 1773 married th...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Siddons

Also at this site i

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Hamilton

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Hamilton

Emma lived in Greville's house on Paddington Green and it was here she met he...

Read More

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Hogarth

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Hogarth

Hogarth married Jane Thornhill in St Mary's church, Paddington Green, on 23 M...

Read More

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Unknown 1

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Unknown 1

{On the plaque attached to the plinth: illegible}

Read More

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Unknown 2

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Unknown 2

{On the plaque attached to the plinth: illegible}

Read More

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Unknown 3

St Mary's trompe l'oeil - Unknown 3

{On the plaque attached to the plinth: illegible}

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Hitchcock mosaics 01 - The Birds, 1963

Hitchcock mosaics 01 - The Birds, 1963

E11, Church Lane, Leytonstone tube station

Rather than repeat information on all 17 pages we have put everything about the creators of these murals on the first mural only, The Birds.

1 subject commemorated, 3 creators
Somers Town Mural

Somers Town Mural

NW1, Polygon Road, School

This mural was commissioned by the GLC in 1980 and moved to this site by St Pancras Housing after its original site was redeveloped for h...

19 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
The Regal, Edmonton

The Regal, Edmonton

N18, Sterling Way, 6 - 16

{On the mosaic mural:} The Regal, Edmonton souvenir, 8th March 1934. {On the brown plaque:} The Regal, Edmonton 1934 - 1986 Opened on 8t...

1 subject commemorated, 3 creators
Victor mosaic

Victor mosaic

SW1, Carteret Street

Ian Visits corrected the wide-spread miss-attribution of this advertisement to the Victor Talking Machine Company.  He has, correctly we'...

1 subject commemorated
Spirit of Soho Mural

Spirit of Soho Mural

W1, Broadwick Street

Interesting that Coca Cola are specifically mentioned on the panel but not as a sponsor. The hourly entertainment provided by the clockwo...

55 subjects commemorated, 3 creators

Previously viewed

St Barthomews Hospital - East wing

St Barthomews Hospital - East wing

Placed at the service of the war office during the Great War and was occupied by sick and wounded soldiers of the British Expeditionary Forces from October 1914 until the 31st January 1918. 5406 s...

Building, Medicine

1 memorial
Stephen Frears

Stephen Frears

Film and television director. Born Stephen Arthur Frears in Leicester. His many works include My Beautiful Laundrette, 'Prick up Your Ears' and 'The Queen'.  He had worked with The Scaffold early i...

Person, Cinema, TV & Radio

1 memorial
British Telecom

British Telecom

A number of privately owned telegraph companies operated in Britain from 1846 onwards. In 1868 these all came under the control of the newly formed GPO (General Post Office). With the invention of ...

Group, Commerce

3 memorials
Sir Noel Caron

Sir Noel Caron

Close friend of King James I. Dutch Ambassador to the court, 1609-24. 1602–3 Elizabeth granted him a house in South Lambeth where he lived until his death. From this plan we think this house was ab...

Person, Philanthropy, Netherlands

1 memorial
Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric Chopin

Composer. Born Zelazowa Wola, Poland of a French emigrant father and Polish mother. Left Poland aged 20, never to return. Despite his long romantic liaison with novelist George Sand (Aurore Dudevan...

Person, Music / songs, Seriously Famous, France, Poland

3 memorials