Plaque

Charles Babbage - SE17

Southwark Health & Charles Babbage Charles Babbage - SE17
Inscription

Charles Babbage, 1791 - 1871, mathematical genius, astronomer, inventor and "father of computing".
London Borough of Southwark - Voted by the People

Plaques really should contain enough information to explain their presence at a particular site. This one doesn't so we've done the work. Babbage was probably born at Crosby Row, a terrace of housing on the east side of Walworth Road. However it was not here; it was further south on the section between what is now Browning Street and East Street. Most of it still exists, with the front gardens built over by shops. Wikipedia has the house number as 44 but the map shows that Crosby Street only went up to 38.

Site: Southwark Health & Charles Babbage (2 memorials)

SE17, Walworth Road

Both plaques are close to the corner of the building, near the lamppost and bus stop. The Babbage plaque is on the side wall (just to the right of the lamppost). The foundation stone is below a ground floor window and behind the man with the brown top.

Above the door is a plaque reading: "The health of the people is the highest law". And higher up: "1937".

Municipal Dreams has an interesting assessment of the building and its historical significance.

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Charles Babbage - SE17

Subjects commemorated i

Charles Babbage

Mathematician and pioneer of the modern computer. Probably born in Crosby Row...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Charles Babbage - SE17

Created by i

Southwark Council

The London Borough of Southwark was created as an amalgamation of the Metropo...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Charles Babbage - SE17

Also at this site i

Southwark Health

Southwark Health

This plaque is not particularly interesting visually so we are showing the ro...

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