Plaque

Tachbrook - Wren

Inscription

Wren House
To commemorate Sir Christopher Wren, 1632 - 1723, who replanned London after the Great Fire. He was educated at Westminster School and became the architect of St Paul's Cathedral.

Site: Tachbrook Estate (14 memorials)

SW1, Bessborough Street

Pulford Street and the Equitable Gas Works used to occupy this six acre site.  In the 1930s the Pulford Street Site Committee was responsible for raising the funds necessary, mainly from Westminster residents, with grants from the Ministry of Health and Westminster Council, to build this Tachbrook Estate. 

The National Archives provide: Seven 5-storey blocks (Kent, Founders, Wren, Beaufort, Tuttle, Abbots, Cowper) (totalling 180 flats) were built and opened by the Duke of Kent on 8/7/1935 (plaque says Duchess of Kent on 27/6/35).   Walston House, opened by the Duchess of Kent on 29/6/1937, was built as a social centre but was rebuilt as 22 flats for the elderly in 1970 and now has no plaque, that we could find.  Malcolmson House, actually 3 blocks (100 flats) was opened by the Queen Mother on 14/7/1949 (plaque says 13th).  Cockburn (22 flats), Marsh (17 flats) and Harvey (41 flats) were opened by Princess Margaret 22/10/1953.  The whole Tachbrook Estate was transferred to Peabody Trust in 1972.

On site there is a plan showing the location of each of the 14 blocks.  One of the blocks, Walston, is quite modern and does not have a plaque.  There are 3 Malcolmson blocks (A, B and C), only one of which has a plaque.  The Foundation plaque is additional to the standard one on the Founders block.  The Opening plaque is additional to the standard one on the Cockburn block.  The Murray plaque is in the playground, not on any block.  All of which means there are 14 plaques: 5 to historical figures and 9 to founders, administrators, unveilers.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Tachbrook - Wren

Subjects commemorated i

Great Fire of London

Started on a Sunday morning. After 4 days the destruction included: - an area...

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Sir Christopher Wren

Born East Knoyle, Wiltshire, died London.  Designer of 54 London churches, o...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Tachbrook - Wren

Also at this site i

Tachbrook - Abbots

Tachbrook - Abbots

Abbots House To commemorate the Abbots of the Monastery of Westminster who fo...

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Tachbrook - Beaufort

Tachbrook - Beaufort

Beaufort House To commemorate the Lady Margaret Beaufort 1443 - 1509. Mother...

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Tachbrook - Cockburn

Tachbrook - Cockburn

Cockburn House To commemorate the work of Jacqueline Theodora Cockburn whose ...

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Tachbrook - Cowper

Tachbrook - Cowper

Cowper House To commemorate William Cowper, poet and hymn writer, 1731 - 1800...

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Tachbrook - Foundation

Tachbrook - Foundation

This stone was laid by the Rt Hon Sir Hilton Young, GBE, Minister of Health, ...

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Nearby Memorials

Richard Ansdell

Richard Ansdell

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Actually Lytham House is thought to be the tall Victorian building to the west of the low 1950s building.

2 subjects commemorated
Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda

SW1, St George's Drive, 63

Swami Vivekananda, 1863 - 1902, Hindu philosopher lived here in 1896. English Heritage

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
General John Burgoyne

General John Burgoyne

W1, Hertford Street, 10

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography gives his birth year as 1723.

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Spurstowe Almshouses - new plaque

Spurstowe Almshouses - new plaque

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We think the old brick wall that can be seen in our photo at the top right is probably the same wall that can be seen, top right, in the ...

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George Orwell - Hayes

George Orwell - Hayes

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George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) 1903 - 1950, lived and worked here as senior master of the former Hawthorn High School for Boys, April ...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator

Previously viewed

Blow-up bridge

Blow-up bridge

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'Blow-up' bridge At 3am on 2 October 1874, the boat 'Tilbury', carrying gunpowder to a quarry in the Midlands, exploded, demolishing the ...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators