Person    | Male  Born 8/10/1835  Died 5/3/1906

Frederick Horniman

Tea merchant, benefactor and politician. Born Frederick John Horniman at Bridgwater, Somerset. He inherited his father's tea business, which by 1891 was described as the biggest tea firm in the world. He embarked on a three month trip to India and Ceylon, collecting items that were to form the basis of the future museum. He entered parliament in 1895, and immeditely set off on a world tour. Died at his home, Falmouth House, 20 Hyde Park Terrace.

2020: During the Black Lives Matter protests the Chief Executive of the museum was quoted: "... as far as we know ... our founder Frederick Horniman did not own slaves or plantations – in fact he was born two years after the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. We do, however, acknowledge the fact that the family wealth that enabled his collection and the creation of the museum was derived from the tea trade, which was reliant on the exploitation of people living in the British Empire."

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Frederick Horniman

Commemorated ati

Forest Hill mural

{Panel 1:} A Brief Local History In medieval times this area was known as The...

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Frederick Horniman

Greater London Council The Horniman Museum and gardens were given to the peop...

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Horniman at Hay's

The plaque is incorrect in giving Thomas Cubitt as the designer. It was in f...

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Other Subjects

John Michele

John Michele

Second son of Simon in the parish of St John Clerkenwell. Active in 1714.

Person, Benefactor

1 memorial
Paul Percy Harris

Paul Percy Harris

Lawyer and co-founder of Rotary International. Born in Racine, Wisconsin. He started practising law in 1896 in Chicago. He began to consider the benefits of the formation of a social organisation f...

Person, Benefactor, Law, USA

1 memorial
Mrs Griffith Rowlands
1 memorial

Previously viewed

Downhills Primary School

Downhills Primary School

N15, Philip Lane, Harris Academy

Not surprisingly, this plaque has been removed. We believe it was affixed to the gate piers, just outside, the left, west, of our photo.

3 subjects commemorated
Mrs Annie Smith

Mrs Annie Smith

A Minerva Estate resident 1948 - 2007 at least.

Person, Friend / family

1 memorial
Caroline Holmes

Caroline Holmes

Caroline L. Farmer was born in 1921, the second of the six children of Walter James Farmer (1890-1949) and Caroline Farmer née Homer (1888-1965). Her birth was registered in the 3rd quarter of 1921...

Person

War dead non-military, WW2
1 memorial
Free Russian Press

Free Russian Press

Established by Herzen in London 1853.  See our plaque page for its various addresses around Bloomsbury.  See the picture source for much more information.

Concept, Journalism / Publishing, Politics & Administration, Russia

1 memorial
Lewisham Borough Council

Lewisham Borough Council

The Borough of Lewisham was formed as an amalgamation of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Deptford and Lewisham.

Group, Politics & Administration

27 memorials