Person    | Male  Born 13/12/1832  Died 14/1/1898

Sir Polydore de Keyser

Born Belgium. The family moved to London in 1842 and his father established De Keyser's Royal Hotel on the site of what is now Unilever House. The son joined the business and the hotel became the largest hotel in the City. More on this hotel at A London Inheritance. 1887 Master of the Company of Spectacle Makers. 1888 the first Catholic Lord Mayor of London since the Reformation. A founder of the Guildhall School of Music. Lived at Cornwall Gardens, Earl's Court.

2017: A London Inheritance has returned to de Keyser and provides a full post.

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This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Sir Polydore de Keyser

Creations i

Smithfield Fish Market opened

This market was opened on November 7th 1888 by the Right Honourable Sir Polyd...

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Other Subjects

London Hop Trade

London Hop Trade

Hops were introduced to England from the Netherlands. They were grown principally in Kent and brought to London via the River Thames and later by rail to London Bridge. By the mid-nineteenth centur...

Group, Commerce

1 memorial
Rodney's Head pub

Rodney's Head pub

Records show Rodney's Head pub was at 4 Old Street in 1851. In 1876 this was rebuilt as shown in this drawing which is pretty much as we see it today. By 1895 it was known as Old Rodney's Head a...

Building, Commerce, Food & Drink

1 memorial
Downs Hotel

Downs Hotel

The Pickwick Bicycle Club was founded here on 22 June 1870. At that first meeting, it was decided that the Downs Hotel should be the general rendezvous for bi-weekly excursions on Wednesdays and Sa...

Place, Commerce, Community / Clubs

1 memorial
Maggie Richardson

Maggie Richardson

Sold flowers at "Maggie's Corner" for 60 years. This lovely evocative photo (found for us by Denis Hoare) comes from Jonnie3 at Flickr where it is captioned 'Oxfam shop, Hampstead High Street, Lon...

Person, Commerce

1 memorial
World's first cash machine

World's first cash machine

In spite of the plaque's claim, there is evidence of a cash dispensing machine being used in Tokyo in 1966. The invention of the British version has been credited to John Shepherd-Barron of the pri...

Event, Commerce, Engineering

2 memorials

Previously viewed

Sir Charles Vyner Brooke

Sir Charles Vyner Brooke

W2, Albion Street, 13

Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, 1874 - 1963, last Rajah of Sarawak, lived here. Greater London Council

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator