Sir Joshua Reynolds, Artist, 1753 - 1761, lived here.
Site: Sir Joshua Reynolds - Great Newport Street (2 memorials)
WC2, Great Newport Street, 5, The Photographers Gallery
April 2016: Our colleague Alan Patient reports that this plaque is now lost, or, at the very least hidden, behind the large "White Space" sign which now covers the space between the bottom of the first windows and the top of the ground floor windows, across the whole width of the building.
This building carries another interesting item - Ray Davies told us about: “The Metropolitan Police Coat Hook used by officers directing traffic Long Acre / St Martins Lane, when they wore capes. It's the only one left and is used as a point of interest when black cab drivers are tested when learning 'The Knowledge”. Secret London writes: "This hook … was put here in the 1930s. Prior to that, a simple nail was used for hanging coats by police directing traffic at this busy junction. During redecoration works, the importance of the nail was pointed out by a passing policeman to a surveyor and this elegant hook appeared." The hook is to the right of the entrance to number 5. 2019: IanVisits pours some much-needed cold water on this hook, supported by a photo of the building in 1943. A similar story to "the hand" at the Tower of London.
2021: The front of this building now looks very similar to how it did when we first visited and the original plaque has been replaced with a less interesting look-a-like.
2023: Ian Visits reported that, shockingly, the police coat hook has lost its label, so it's now just a hook.
