Subject

William Blake

Person   Born 23/11/1757 Died 12/8/1827

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). Wrote Jerusalem in his rooms in South Molton Street, the only one of his 5 London homes to survive, the other 3 being: 28 Poland Street, (no plaque), Leicester Square (briefly, no plaque) and 3 Fountain Court at the Strand where he lived his last 7 years and died a poor man. 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.
See Poets Graves.

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

Go to map of other memorials in this area

Commemorated at

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Linnell & Blake

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

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47847

Spirit of Soho Mural

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

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44263

William Blake

William Blake was born on 23rd November 1757 in a house which stood on this s...

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44697

William Blake

Initially we were puzzled why the Corporation of the City of London would ere...

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Creations

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Start of the third Millennium in Belgrave Square

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

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