Keystone

ICI - 5 - Nobel

Inscription

Alfred Nobel

Site: Imperial Chemical House - 9 portrait keystones (10 memorials)

SW1, Millbank, 9, Imperial Chemical House

For an idea of what this area used to be like see this 1894ish map. It was all redeveloped following the 1928 flood. This block was designed by Sir Frank Baines and built in 1929-31 as HQ for Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI). Aka 'Nobel House' it is now, 2016, occupied by Ofgem, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. The frontage boasts 9 portrait keystones of chemists and ICI directors: Cavendish is on the Horseferry Road frontage, Mendeleeff on the junction corner, the other 7 are on the river side, left to right: Lavoisier, McGowan, Nobel, Alfred Mond (ICI), Ludwig Mond, Priestley, Liebig. Each 5th floor keystone decorates an integrated window arrangement with the identifying name on the 4th floor balcony. In his book on London statues Osbert Sitwell reports a journalist  writing that these "masks" are "four times life-size" but he also writes that they are "seven storeys above the ground" so we have to allow for some exaggeration.

On the 5th floor are four magnificent statues by Charles Sergeant Jagger. See A London Inheritance for photos. As well as these keystones Fagan did most of the other sculpture on the building, including the massive bronze entrance doors.

2017: We watched the 1947 film "Mine Own Executioner" which uses a few London locations. We recognised that of the last scene - a suicide at the top of a building - and thought it might be this one. But it's actually the MI5 building immediately to the south of Lambeth Bridge, Thames House, which was built by ICI at the same time as IC House and not used by MI5 until 1994.

There are two more portrait keystones on Nobel House, behind this building.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
ICI - 5 - Nobel

Subjects commemorated i

Alfred Nobel

Chemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer.  Invented dynamite,...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
ICI - 5 - Nobel

Created by i

William Bateman Fagan

Born Bermondsey. Andrew Behan's researches have found that when he was baptis...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
ICI - 5 - Nobel

Also at this site i

Faraday on the ICI building entrance doors

Faraday on the ICI building entrance doors

These doors are in the centre of the river frontage of the building. Mapping...

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Nearby Memorials

ICI - 9 - Liebig

ICI - 9 - Liebig

SW1, Millbank, 9, Imperial Chemical House

For an idea of what this area used to be like see this 1894ish map. It was all redeveloped following the 1928 flood. This block was desig...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Carpenters' Hall - Inigo Jones

Carpenters' Hall - Inigo Jones

EC2, London Wall, 1 Throgmorton Avenue

This memorial used to be in Puzzle Corner until walking guide Ian Swankie pointed out the unarguable resemblance to Inigo Jones. 

1 subject commemorated
Carpenters' Hall - Vanbrugh

Carpenters' Hall - Vanbrugh

EC2, London Wall, 1 Throgmorton Avenue

The building projects over the pavement with an arched colonnade for pedestrians. On the keystone of each arch, at the ends and along the...

1 subject commemorated
Henry Gage Spicer - keystone

Henry Gage Spicer - keystone

SW1, Old Queen Street, 20

In 2020 The Daily Mail was advertising this property for sale: "... originally built in 1909 as family home of paper mill tycoon. Townhou...

1 subject commemorated
Cadby Hall - 9 keystone heads - composers

Cadby Hall - 9 keystone heads - composers

W14, Hammersmith Road, Lyons Walk

Cadby Hall was built in 1873 as a piano factory. Our picture comes from Cadby Hall: "Built to the design of Lewis H. Isaacs, Cadby Hall w...

Previously viewed

Tachbrook - Cockburn

Tachbrook - Cockburn

SW1, Bessborough Street

Pulford Street and the Equitable Gas Works used to occupy this six acre site.  In the 1930s the Pulford Street Site Committee was respons...

1 subject commemorated
Sutton and Cheam Society
1 memorial
Cornelius Barham

Cornelius Barham

Churchwarden of Christ Church Spitalfields, 1873 - 77 at least. Possibly the grocer who occupied nearby 56 Artillery Lane in 1859 - 1904.  We also found Raven Road, Spitalfields given for him in 1877.

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
W. G. H. King

W. G. H. King

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
boundary crosses of old Croydon

boundary crosses of old Croydon

There were 4 mediaeval manorial boundary crosses in Croydon: Hand Cross, Hern or Hurn Cross, Stay or Stake Cross, and one of unknown name. They marking out one hundred acres of the old town of Croy...

Place, Community / Clubs

4 memorials