Plaque

St Pancras Way bridge - foundation stone

Erection date: 4/3/1897

Inscription

Vestry of St Pancras, London
This foundation stone was laid by William James Wetenhall Esqre. JP, LCC - Chairman of the  Vestry, on Thursday March 4th 1897.

Charles Challen Esqre., William Henry Matthews Esqre. - Churchwardens
John William Dixon - Chairman of the Parliamentary & General Purposes Committee

C. H. F. Barrett, Esqre. - Vestry Clerk
Stephen Kavanagh – Builder
Thomas & Taylor – Engineers

This, the foundation stone for the bridge, was laid in March 1897 and less than 5 months later the bridge was opened.

Site: St Pancras Way bridge - foundation stone (1 memorial)

NW1, towpath

We are grateful to Andy Bye for bringing this difficult-to-see plaque to our attention.

Transcribing the text was not too hard but understanding why the plaque looks the way it does took some deduction. There seems to be a stone inserted into the lower right corner of the plaque, this stone being a continuation of the front canal edge of a short standing area, to the right of the plaque. Also, the last part of the inscription is on what appears to be a different, black, stone. All very puzzling. But then we realised that the black stone is actually a bevelled stone skirting that runs the full length of the wall on that side of the canal.

We believe that what happened was this: the foundation stone was installed - a normal rectangular stone with the text distributed across it as normal; it became necessary to extend the front canal edge stone (reason unknown) across the lower right front of the plaque; this obliterated the text in the lower right corner; so the lost text was inscribed onto the bevelled section of the stone skirting immediately below the plaque.

We are pleased with that explanation - let us know if you agree, or not.

Andy told us that 1897 is when "the original King's Road bridge (dating from when the canal was built?) was replaced by the St Pancras Vestry." Goad's 1891 Insurance Plan of London Vol. xi: sheet 402-1, has the road crossing the bridge from the south labelled 'King's Road', but the bridge itself is labelled 'Grey's Inn Bridge'.

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

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
St Pancras Way bridge - foundation stone

Subjects commemorated i

Thomas & Taylor

Engineers active in 1897.  

Read More

Charles Herbert Fox Barrett

Vestry Clerk. St Pancras Vestry, his tenure including the period 1897 -1906. ...

Read More

Charles Challen

Churchwarden in the St Pancras Vestry in 1897.

Read More

John William Dixon

Chairman of the Parliamentary and General Purposes Committee, St Pancras Vest...

Read More

Stephen Kavanagh

Builder active in 1897.

Read More

Show all 6

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
St Pancras Way bridge - foundation stone

Created by i

Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras

St Pancras was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in London. It was an a...

Read More

William James Wetenhall

Churchwarden in St Pancras Vestry in 1889. Chairman of the Vestry in 1897. W...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

New Cross (Equitable) Building Society

New Cross (Equitable) Building Society

SE14, New Cross Road, 470

New Cross (Equitable) Building Society was established in 1866 but did not move into this building (and presumably erect the shield) unti...

1 subject commemorated
Lawrence Hall - Viscountess Lascelles

Lawrence Hall - Viscountess Lascelles

SW1, Greycoat Street

The Lascelles plaque is to the right of the central door, Lambourne to the left. Built 1928, architect: John Murray Easton.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Doctor Alfred Salter - SE10

Doctor Alfred Salter - SE10

SE10, Greenwich South Street, 23

Birthplace in 1873 of Dr. Alfred Salter, Quaker and first Labour M.P. for Bermondsey. A tireless crusader against sickness and poverty.

1 subject commemorated
Highgate Camp

Highgate Camp

N6, Swains Lane, 107

We understand that at least 13 of these names are also on the memorial cross at the United Reform Church.

War dead | WW1
16 subjects commemorated
Robert Browning - SE14

Robert Browning - SE14

SE14, Jerningham Road, Haberdashers Aske's Hatcham College

The cottage was 'Telegraph Cottage' which Browning described as "resembling a goose pie' but we can find no image. It was named for the ...

1 subject commemorated