Plaque

Lord Byron - P4, Westminster plaque

Erection date: 4/10/2012

Inscription

Lord Byron, widely regarded as one of the greatest British poets was born here, 22 January 1788.
"Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine."
City of Westminster
John Lewis Partnership
 

Unveiled on National Poetry Day by JLP MD Simon Fowler and Westminster Mayor Cllr Angela Harvey. Lots of websites agree that the "Always laugh" quote is Lord Byron but not one gives a source and we can't locate it.

Site: Lord Byron (4 memorials)

W1, Holles Street, John Lewis

In the world of plaques this is an important site since the first ever official plaque (our P1) was placed by the (Royal) Society of Arts on a house here. Just a shame that it was lost and that replacing it has proved so troublesome.

Over the years there have been 4 Byron memorials here, which we have imaginatively labelled: P1, P2, P3, P4.

We thank Steve Roffey for the research on which these pages are based. Prime sources: RSoA Journals, UCL Survey of London.

Also, in July 2025 we visited the JLP Heritage Centre in Cookham where Archivist Imogen was immensely helpful and provided some extra details to our understanding.  She added that at various times John Lewis has used the Byron connection in its branding: c.1900 a portrait of Byron was included on the firm’s letterhead and then in the 1950s the foyer of the Byron Room Restaurant (the partners’ dining room we think) was decorated with a mural representing Byron’s life.

Sources include: UCL Bartlett.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Lord Byron - P4, Westminster plaque

Subjects commemorated i

Lord Byron

Born Holles Street, baptised at St Marylebone church in the same year. Spent ...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Lord Byron - P4, Westminster plaque

Created by i

John Lewis Partnership

Retail group. Founded by John Spedan Lewis after his father John Lewis gave h...

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Westminster City Council

The ancient parish of St Margaret's was divided into St Margaret's and St Joh...

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Councillor Angela Harvey

Westminster Council's member for Housing in 2007. Elected as Lord Mayor of We...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Lord Byron - P4, Westminster plaque

Also at this site i

Lord Byron - P1, first blue plaque

Lord Byron - P1, first blue plaque

Byron was born in Holles Street.  House number 24 was the location for the fi...

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Lord Byron - P2, first John Lewis plaque

Lord Byron - P2, first John Lewis plaque

In 1900 John Lewis erected a new memorial on their building consisting of a b...

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Lord Byron - P3, non standard plaque

Lord Byron - P3, non standard plaque

Imogen at the archive confirms that this unusual plaque was on site until at ...

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Nearby Memorials

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Welsh Church - Peters

W1, Eastcastle Street, 30

Each of these foundation stones is at the base of a pillar, reading left to right: Peters, Rowlands, Lewis, Taylor. Disappointingly we h...

1 subject commemorated
Elizabeth I statue - Harrow - Hamilton plaque

Elizabeth I statue - Harrow - Hamilton plaque

HA1, Peterborough Road, Harrow War Memorial Building and Speech Room

This plaque refers to this statue.

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Highams Park signal box

Highams Park signal box

E4, Hale End Road, 511

The signal box is now, 2022, home to La Boîte, a crêperie. The story of this signal box is well told at Highams Park Forum, where we lea...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Walthamstow Strawberry tree

Walthamstow Strawberry tree

E17, Forest Road, 458, Ross Wyld Care Home

There is an identical plaque on the side wall of the care home.

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Ricardo Street School air raid - AFS plaque

Ricardo Street School air raid - AFS plaque

E14, Kerbey Street, Lansbury Lawrence Primary School

We can't find an image of the school that was bombed. An early school appears on this 1895 map, occupying the northern part of the site, ...

Civilian war dead | WW2
8 subjects commemorated, 1 creator