Plaque | War dead | WW1

Harmsworth - IWM

Erection date: 2014

Inscription

In 1926 Harold Harmsworth, the first Viscount Rothermere, bought the grounds of the Bethlem Royal Hospital, popularly known as Bedlam, and generously donated them to the people of Southwark as a park named after his mother, Geraldine Mary Harmsworth.

Later, Lord Rothermere felt it was right that the former hospital should become the home of the Imperial War Museum as two of his sons, Vyvyan and Vere, had died during the First World War. The museum moved to this site in 1936 and has remained here ever since.

In 2014 to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, IWM completed a major regeneration of the building and its galleries. In this it was strongly supported by the IWM Foundation, chaired by Harold Harmsworth's great-grandson, Jonathan, the fourth Viscount Rothermere.

Site: Berlin Wall - SE1 & Harmsworth (2 memorials)

SE1, Lambeth Road, Imperial War Museum

The Harmsworth plaque is inside the entrance lobby to the Museum, just to the right of our photo.

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Harmsworth - IWM

Subjects commemorated i

Bethleham Hospital 1&2

A priory for the Order of the Star of Bethlehem, built in 1247 on Bishopsgate...

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World War 1

We'd always assumed that this war was known as the Great War until WW2 came a...

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Geraldine Mary Harmsworth

Mother of Lord Rothermere.   Born in Dublin as Geraldine Mary Maffett, the da...

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Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere

Newspaper owner. He and his brother Alfred, later Lord Northcliffe, developed...

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Show all 7

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Harmsworth - IWM

Also at this site i

Berlin Wall - SE1

Berlin Wall - SE1

{On a nearby plaque:} Section of the Berlin Wall 'Change Your Life' by the gr...

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Nearby Memorials

Victims of Human BSE

Victims of Human BSE

SE1, Albert Embankment

The flower on the plaque looks to us like a chrysanthemum but we don't know if it has any special significance.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Southwark Fire Station - extension

Southwark Fire Station - extension

SE1, Southwark Bridge Road

We deliberately captured part of the notice to the left of the plaque - you can work out its message. The station was closed in 2014.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Queen Eleanor's Cross

Queen Eleanor's Cross

WC2, Trafalgar Square

So, is this the "centre" of London? Londonist provides some alternatives.

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Chislehurst Caves

Chislehurst Caves

BR7, Old Hill, Caveside Close

Chislehurst Caves People came from across London and north west Kent to shelter here during the Blitz. At the height of the bombardment b...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Haberdashers' Hall

Haberdashers' Hall

EC2, Gresham Street

Site of the Haberdashers' Hall, 1458 - 1996. City of London

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator