Plaque: Charles Babbage - SE17
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.
Go to map of other memorials in this area
