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Thomas More - Woolwich Town Hall

Erection date: 1904

Inscription

{Beneath the portrait:}
Sir Thomas More

{Above the portrait:}
1478  1535

{On the stained-glass plaque:}
Sir Thomas More, author of "Eutopia", friend of Erasmus and Holbein, lived as Lord Chancellor of England at Eltham. He excelled in sacred learning, & was courageous of the truth, suffering death at hands of his king.

We can find no confirmation that More lived at Eltham, though he probably visited his daughter, Margaret Roper, at her home there. From even before become Lord Chancellor More lived at Chelsea, where easy access to the Thames facilitated his frequent attendances on the King at both Richmond and Greenwich.

Site: Woolwich Town Hall 1 (5 memorials)

SE18, Wellington Street, Greenwich Town Hall

In 1906 this building replaced the previous, also purpose-built, 1842 Woolwich town hall which still survives, nearby, on the corner of Calderwood Street and Polytechnic Street.

Designed by Alfred Brumwell Thomas, this building was built as Woolwich Town Hall which it was until 1965 when, following a shake-up of local councils, it became Greenwich Town Hall. 

For another window and the Queen Victoria statue see Woolwich Town Hall 2.

We understand there are still more stained glass windows in the town hall: depicting historic events in the parishes of Woolwich, Plumstead and Eltham and showing Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and the Launching of the ship Henry Grace à Dieu at Woolwich Dockyard in 1514.  We could not find them, so they may be in private rooms, such as the Mayor's Parlour.

The windows all date from 1904 and are by Geoffrey Webb.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of plaquesoflondon.co.uk

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Thomas More - Woolwich Town Hall

Subjects commemorated i

Desiderius Erasmus

Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian. Born Rotterdam, date...

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King Henry VIII

Son of Henry VII. Born Born Greenwich Palace, as the spare, not the heir but ...

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Sir Thomas More

Born Milk Street. In conflict with Henry VIII over religion he was imprisoned...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Thomas More - Woolwich Town Hall

Created by i

Geoffrey Fuller Webb

Known professionally as Geoffrey Webb he was a stained-glass artist and desig...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Thomas More - Woolwich Town Hall

Also at this site i

Margaret Roper - Woolwich Town Hall

Margaret Roper - Woolwich Town Hall

{On the stained-glass plaque:} Margaret, a pious & learned woman, the bel...

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Phineas Pett - Woolwich Town Hall

Phineas Pett - Woolwich Town Hall

{Beneath the portrait:} Phineas Pett {Above the portrait:} 1570  1647 {On ...

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Samuel Pepys -  Woolwich Town Hall

Samuel Pepys - Woolwich Town Hall

The Diary of Samuel Pepys confirms that Pepys moved his wife out to Woolwich ...

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Three Kings at Eltham Palace

Three Kings at Eltham Palace

We wondered what brought about this gathering of kings (four if you include t...

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