Relief

Infants Hospital - baby 5

Site: Infants Hospital (6 memorials)

SW1, Udall Street

The two be-wreathed babies are on the building on the south-east side of the street, which was the 1914 nurses home; the others on the, photographed, north-west side. The arch at the left of our photo contains a nicely foliated cartouche "The Infants Hospital". Since the hospital closed in 1995 this building and the nurses home have been converted into flats.

These swaddled babies have their inspiration in work by Della Robbia. His bambini were installed on the Ospedale degli Innocenti (Hospital of the Innocents) in 1487 in Florence and the image of a swaddled baby has since become a symbol of paediatrics.

We can't get over the impression that these babies are semaphoring to each other, possibly asking when the sack race starts.

Note: Udall Street was known as Alfred Street until probably about 1930-40.

2019: We found another of these babies - at "130 Poplar High Street, built as a Roman Catholic Settlement of the Holy Child at No. 130(–132). This demure block was built, primarily as a youth club, in 1955–6, to designs by Adrian Gilbert Scott (1882–1963)" Text from British History Online. Photograph.

2022: We published another swaddled baby at Bonner Street WW1 memorial.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Infants Hospital - baby 5

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

First Peelers training school

First Peelers training school

SW1, Regency Street, Peel House, 105

The bronze panel depicts an everyday scene in London at that time - that of a Peeler rescuing the terrified occupants of a carriage drawn...

2 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Resurgam

Resurgam

EC4, Cannon Street, St Paul's Cathedral

This phoenix represents the rebirth of the old Cathedral, lost in the Great Fire. Stones from the old building were used in the construct...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
St James's Theatre - 3 reliefs

St James's Theatre - 3 reliefs

SW1, King Street, 23-24

The four bas-relief panels by Edward Bainbridge Copnall depict the heads of Gilbert Miller, George Alexander, Oscar Wilde and the Olivier...

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
St John's Primary School - rebuilt

St John's Primary School - rebuilt

N5, Conewood Street, St John's Highbury Vale

Our research into the history of the school convinces us that the blank section of ribbon must have read "Christ Church" which was the sc...

1 subject commemorated
PP - Watts relief

PP - Watts relief

EC1, Edward Street

This looks as if it's carved wood but Bonhams says it's probably painted ceramic.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators