SW1, Great Smith Street
The foundation stone is immediately to the right of the central entrance.
Above the entrance: "Westminster Public Library, The united parishes of St Margaret and St John the Evangelist, AD 1893". In 1985 this building was threatened with demolition and was only saved by a campaign which brought about the Thorney Island Society.
The Listing identifies the heads for us, and we've numbered them left to right.
This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Old Westminster Library - head 3 - Chaucer
Poet and administrator. Whilst living in the Aldgate, as the ‘Comptroller of ...
This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Old Westminster Library - head 3 - Chaucer
Westminster Public Library The united parishes of St Margaret and St John the...
We first thought Francis Bacon but he normally has more hair, and, so far, al...
The hair seems a bit too curly but the sad eyes are right.
These two must be Somerset and Raglan but which is which we can't tell you.
The busts are on the keystones of the library first floor window arches, numbered left to right. Ornamental Passions has posted about th...
The roundels on the north, river-facing, frontage are occupied by, left to right: Anson, Drake, Cook, Howard, Blake, Benbow, Sandwich, Ro...
This style of bust, called a herm bust, originated in ancient Greece. Oddly, male genitalia are sometimes carved on the plain section, in...
