Person    | Male  Born 28/11/1757  Died 12/8/1827

William Blake

Categories: Art, Poetry, Seriously Famous

Poet and artist. Except for 3 years spent on the coast near Bognor, Blake lived his whole life in London, making his living as an engraver. Born at 28 Broad Street, now Broadwick Street (the memorial being in Marshall Street). 1782 married Catherine.

Wrote Jerusalem in his rooms in South Molton Street, the only one of his London homes to survive, other homes being: 28 Broad Street W1; Green Street, near Leicester Square (briefly, no plaque); 28 Poland Street (no plaque);  Hercules Road SE1; 3 Fountain Court at the Strand where he lived his last 7 years and died a poor man. See Tate's William Blake's London for more details.

His friend George Richmond closed Blake's eyes "to keep the vision in". Buried in Bunhill Fields Dissenters' Burial Ground. This was damaged during WW2 and restored in 1960 by which time the precise location of Blake's remains had been forgotten, or at least lost in the archives.

In 2007 there is a campaign to re-mark the grave and to build a monument to this truly great Londoner. And 2018: iNews reports that a new gravestone, in the correct location, will be unveiled in August.

The Blake Archive web site, given as the Picture Source is a magnificent site.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
William Blake

Commemorated ati

Bunhill burial ground - 2

In this ground are the vaults of {see the Subjects commemorated for the list ...

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Linnell & Blake

Greater London Council John Linnell, 1792 - 1882, painter lived here. Wil...

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Spirit of Soho Mural

Interesting that Coca Cola are specifically mentioned on the panel but not as...

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William Blake - SE1

The shield with the red crosses is from the Coat of arms of the City of Londo...

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William Blake - SE1 - lost plaque

This plaque, shown in both this drawing (by Adcock from Culture 24) and the p...

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This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
William Blake

Creations i

British Library - Newton

Bronze, 12 foot high (and he's sitting down).  Via Facebook Henri Hudson has ...

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Iolo Morganwg

The plaque of Anglesey Stone designed and carved by Morris was unveiled at mi...

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Start of the third Millennium in Belgrave Square

The poetry is from "Auguries of Innocence" by William Blake.For other armill...

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Other Subjects

Gunter Demnig

Gunter Demnig

Born Berlin. From Stolpersteine: The artist Gunter Demnig remembers the victims of National Socialism by installing commemorative brass plaques in the pavement in front of their last address of ch...

Person, Art, Germany

1 memorial
Frederick Catherwood

Frederick Catherwood

Artist, architect and explorer.  Born at 21 Charles Square.  Topographical artist.  He visited many Mediterranean countries drawing their monuments and ruins.  In 1839-40 Catherwood and John Lloyd ...

Person, Architecture, Art, Exploring, South America

1 memorial
George Barret Jr

George Barret Jr

Water colour painter.  Born Orchard Street, in December 1767, the third son of George Barret (1732-1784) and Frances Barret née Percy, about four years after his father's arrival from Dublin. Two b...

Person, Art

1 memorial
Whitechapel Boys

Whitechapel Boys

From the Whitechapel Gallery: "A group of significant artists and writers emerged from the Jewish diaspora in east London at the beginning of the 20th Century." Artists: David Bomberg, Jacob Epste...

Group, Art, Philosophy, Sculpture

1 memorial
Robert Gordon McHarg III

Robert Gordon McHarg III

Opened the Subway Gallery in 2006.

Person, Art, Museums / Libraries, Canada

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Nordahl Grieg

Nordahl Grieg

Norwegian poet, novelist, dramatist, journalist and political activist. Our Norwegian consultant, Johanne Elster Hanson, says that "Grieg adored England and spent many periods of his life here. He...

Person, Literature, Nationalism, Poetry, Norway

1 memorial
University College London (UCL)

University College London (UCL)

The first English university established since Oxford and Cambridge and the first not to discriminate on race, class or religion, and the first to accept women on equal terms. Jeremy Bentham was no...

Group, Education

8 memorials
R. Wynn Owen

R. Wynn Owen

Reginald Wynn Owen was born in Wales. Worked for the London and North Western Railway. Our photo comes from an excellent family history website. Visit there for more info on Owen.

Person, Architecture, Wales

1 memorial
First & Slovo

First & Slovo

NW1, Lyme Street, 13

Unveiled by Mandela.

2 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Sam Wanamaker

Sam Wanamaker

Actor, director and visionary who recreated Shakespeare's Globe. Born Chicago. In 1952, while working in the UK, he heard that the House Un-American Activities had black-listed him so he decided to...

Person, Cinema, Theatre, USA

2 memorials