FIDE ET FIDUCIA
DOMUM HANC IN PIAM MEMORIAM
EVAN EVANS BEVAN NIDIANI
SUIS SUMPTIBUS
AEDIFICANDAM CURAVIT FILIUS
D M EVANS BEVAN NIDIANUS
MCMXXXVII
{Translated from the Latin:}
In devoted memory of Evan Evans Bevan-Nidian, his son D. M. Evans Bevan-Nidian, in faith and confidence, arranged for the building of this house at his own expense. 1937
{This stone plaque is surmounted by a charming heraldic symbol in stone profile embedded in the flint wall. A Welsh dragon (?) standing atop a castellated tower and holding something.}
David Hopkins has kindly provided the translation for us. Dave says "I was puzzled by the word Nidianus/i, which appears after his name and after his son’s, and each time has a dot in front of it. I hadn’t heard of it before, but on Google I managed to find an old Welsh name “Nidian” and a couple of living people with Nidian as their given name. So I’m guessing that Nidian here is an additional family name and the dot represents a hyphen. (It doesn’t help that Google is convinced I mean “Indian”!)
2020: Via Facebook Deb Fisher pointed out that Neath, the place in Wales from which the family came, was Nidum to the Romans. This may well explain the word Nidianus/i.
Site: London House - WC1 (5 memorials)
WC1, Mecklenburgh Square
The building was erected 1935 -63, designed by Sir Herbert Baker and Scott and their successor Helbing. These memorials are all inside what is normally a private quadrangle but we managed to gain access on the weekend of the 2007 Open Squares Event.
The 70th anniversary plaque can be seen from outside, peering through the gate, on the left. The armillary sphere is in the quadrangle, on the north side, directly in line with the gate. The bust is on the south façade, the clock in the north west corner, the Latin text on the east façade.
Our picture of the building, taken from the Goodenough College website, is of one of the Queen's visits.
