a plaque on both your houses
Ealing isn't exactly bristling with blue plaques, it has always suffered somewhat from being a great place to leave, culturally and geographically.The flying visit of the Northern Professor, and our swift dive into town by motor this morning, took us past a row of solid mid-to late victorian townhouses overlooking the common. In the atypically brilliant sunshine we both spotted a blue plaque, newly erected on one of these buildings, and a certain amount of speculation ensued.
The only blue plaques I was previously aware of were for Michael Balcon, on the front of Ealing Studios, and for Sid James, on Hanger Lane (my former neighbour was at school with his daughter, and her father was always happy to collect her from the James household, as Sid was apparently very convivial and possessed an extremely well stocked bar).
My curiosity was pricked, and I have undertaken a modicum of research; according to the blue plaque website there are three in Ealing, all on the same house and commemorating Alan Dower Blumlein, an electronics engineer and inventor (a pioneer of RADAR, killed in a plane crash whilst testing his handywork). I think we had secretly hoped that the new plaque would be commemorating Margery Allingham, who was born in Ealing in 1904, sadly this is not the case (no.5 Broughton Road is now a block of flats, the url below is for a picture of an adjacent house). I had a brief flurry of excitement over mentions of Mary Seacole, but these turned out to be a red herring.
At last I found a reference, there are three recent plaques in Ealing; Michael Balcon, John Lindley ( C19 botanist, orchidologist and saviour of Kew Gardens), and finally our mystery, and I hope you aren't too disappointed; Dorothea Lambert Chambers, seven times Wimbledon Ladies Tennis Champion between 1903 and 1914.
As far as I can tell, this must always have been a pretty strange place to live in, even way back when. Notable former inhabitants include a Duke of Kent (predating Victoria), who apparently took an active part in local life, attending church accompanied by his own military band, and Henry Fielding, who came to Ealing for his health, and supposedly wrote Tom Jones whilst staying in what became Lady Byrons residence; Fordhook. Other more recent notables might be Julian Clary and Andy Serkis, both of whom went to school here, plaque that!
Update: I've found two more! Both of which I was aware in a foggy sort of way, Ealing chooses to commemorate Charles Hamilton (AKA Frank Richards, author of Billy Bunter) who was born in a house now under the tasteless shopping centre in 1876, and Lady Byron, who established a charitable school hereabouts. Curiously, the grade 2 listed 'tin chapel' which was one of the last remnants of her activity, was demolished a month or so ago to make way for a development of luxury family houses.
http://www.blueplaqueproject.org/
http://allingham.fotopic.net/p3436751.html
posted by Lampy @ 12/03/2005 11:15:00 pm
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