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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Show all 7

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

The Arts Club

The Arts Club

Private members club founded by, amongst others, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton. "This Club is instituted for the purpose of facilitating the social intercourse of those conne...

Group, Art, Community / Clubs

2 memorials
Henry Fuseli

Henry Fuseli

Painter and writer.  Born in Zurich as Johann Heinrich Füssli, worked mainly in England.  The birth date we give is from the ODNB who warn that he later lied about it.  His paintings often depict t...

Person, Art, Switzerland

1 memorial
Studio Weave

Studio Weave

A London-based idiosyncratic architecture practice.  The picture we have used is from their page about the Aldgate project.

Group, Architecture, Art

1 memorial
William Hogarth

William Hogarth

Satirical artist and illustrator. Trained as an engraver, he depicted the unseemly behaviour of contemporaries in works like 'The Beggar's Opera' (1728) and 'A Rake's Progress' (1732). Much of his ...

Person, Art, Seriously Famous

12 memorials
Islington Art Society

Islington Art Society

Formed as the Islington Art Circle in 1941 by A. E. Hickman-Smith and on his death in 1965 run by George and Deborah Bunting until their deaths in 2000.  Changed its name in 2002 to Islington Art S...

Group, Art, Community / Clubs

1 memorial