Person    | Male  Born 28/11/1757  Died 12/8/1827

William Blake

Categories: Art, Poetry, Seriously Famous

Poet and artist. Except for 3 years spent on the coast near Bognor, Blake lived his whole life in London, making his living as an engraver. Born at 28 Broad Street, now Broadwick Street (the memorial being in Marshall Street). 1782 married Catherine.

Wrote Jerusalem in his rooms in South Molton Street, the only one of his London homes to survive, other homes being: 28 Broad Street W1; Green Street, near Leicester Square (briefly, no plaque); 28 Poland Street (no plaque);  Hercules Road SE1; 3 Fountain Court at the Strand where he lived his last 7 years and died a poor man. See Tate's William Blake's London for more details.

His friend George Richmond closed Blake's eyes "to keep the vision in". Buried in Bunhill Fields Dissenters' Burial Ground. This was damaged during WW2 and restored in 1960 by which time the precise location of Blake's remains had been forgotten, or at least lost in the archives.

In 2007 there is a campaign to re-mark the grave and to build a monument to this truly great Londoner. And 2018: iNews reports that a new gravestone, in the correct location, will be unveiled in August.

The Blake Archive web site, given as the Picture Source is a magnificent site.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
William Blake

Commemorated ati

Bunhill burial ground - 2

In this ground are the vaults of {see the Subjects commemorated for the list ...

Read More

Linnell & Blake

Greater London Council John Linnell, 1792 - 1882, painter lived here. Wil...

Read More

Spirit of Soho Mural

Interesting that Coca Cola are specifically mentioned on the panel but not as...

Read More

William Blake - SE1

The shield with the red crosses is from the Coat of arms of the City of Londo...

Read More

William Blake - SE1 - lost plaque

This plaque, shown in both this drawing (by Adcock from Culture 24) and the p...

Read More

Show all 7

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
William Blake

Creations i

British Library - Newton

Bronze, 12 foot high (and he's sitting down).  Via Facebook Henri Hudson has ...

Read More

Iolo Morganwg

The plaque of Anglesey Stone designed and carved by Morris was unveiled at mi...

Read More

Start of the third Millennium in Belgrave Square

The poetry is from "Auguries of Innocence" by William Blake.For other armill...

Read More

Other Subjects

Thomas Stothard

Thomas Stothard

Painter and illustrator.  Buried in Bunhill burial ground.

Person, Art

2 memorials
Sir William Orpen

Sir William Orpen

Painter. Born William Newenham Montague Orpen at Oriel, Blackrock, County Dublin. He was an official artist in World War I and attended the Versailles Peace Conference. Deeply affected by the suffe...

Person, Art, Ireland

1 memorial
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska

Henri Gaudier-Brzeska

Artist and sculptor. Born as Henri Gaudier in Saint-Jean-de-Braye near Orléans. In 1910, he moved to London with Sophie Brzeska, a Polish writer with whom he had an intense relationship, adding her...

Person, Art, Sculpture, France

1 memorial
Peter De Wint

Peter De Wint

Water colour painter.  Born Stoke-on-Trent.  Came to London to study painting.  Died at home, 40 Upper Gower Street.

Person, Art

1 memorial
Ernest Eugene Pither

Ernest Eugene Pither

Art dealer and importer as "E. E. Pither and Sons". 1881 "Commission Agent" living with his mother and brother.  1882-99 operated out of various addresses in the area including 53 and 38 Mortimer S...

Person, Art, Commerce

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Trenwith Wills

Trenwith Wills

Trenwith Lovering Wills was born on 14 February 1891 in Oxton, Birkenhead, Cheshire, the elder son of John Trenwith Wills (1844-1915) and Florence Elizabeth Wills née Lovering (1852-1926). The 1891...

Person, Architecture

1 memorial
Emile Madeline

Emile Madeline

From Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland we learn that Emile Alfred Madeline was born in 1859, died in 1933 and was active between 1911 and 1921. However, he is ...

Person, Sculpture, France

1 memorial