91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Bust

01 Croydon - Edmund Halley

Site: Whitgift and others (17 memorials)

CR9, Katharine Street, Croydon Public Library

Built in 1892 by Charles Henman Jr. this heavily decorated group of buildings makes up Croydon's Municipal buildings complex. The building and the roundels are covered at . Each of the five bays of the frieze carries three portrait roundels. The names, wreathed in either oak or laurel leaves, are given along the tops of the windows just below the pediments, listed here left to right. Ornamental Passions assumes they are all the work of Edwin Roscoe Mullins who did other work on this part of the building.

You would have thought that by 1892 the spelling of Shakespeare would have been sorted out. But this is not the first time we have seen it as "Shakespere" on buildings around this date. Perhaps it was a nod to the fashion for historical romanticism. Of course, in the 16th century, spelling had not settled down, to the extent that Shakespeare himself was inconsistent. His marriage certificate (necessary because at 18 he was under-age) has his name spelt as Shagspeare, accidentally, we are sure.

Archbishop Tillotson takes pride of place at the centre of these portraits. He was born almost 30 years after Whitgift's death and, like Whitgift, became Archbishop of Canterbury. Other than that we can find no reason for his honoured presence here.

Improbably, "Croydon" derives from the Anglo Saxon for "Crocus Valley" (ref: )

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
01 Croydon - Edmund Halley

Subjects commemorated i

Dr Edmond Halley

Astronomer. born Haggerston, London. Correctly predicted the return of a come...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
01 Croydon - Edmund Halley

Created by i

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
01 Croydon - Edmund Halley

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Drill Hall - head 2 - Scots soldier

Drill Hall - head 2 - Scots soldier

W1, Chenies Street, Drill Hall

In the spandrels above the entrance door: "Bloomsbury Rifles Pro Patria Semper" ('for my country always'). The technique used for this le...

George Skanderbeg

George Skanderbeg

W2, Corner of Inverness Terrace and Porchester Gardens

The statue was installed as part of the City of Sculpture initiative created by the City of Westminster and was unveiled on the 100th ann...

1 subject commemorated, 7 creators
Hotel Russell - Gladstone

Hotel Russell - Gladstone

WC1, Russell Square, 1-8

This ornate extravaganza, designed by the splendidly named Fitzroy Doll, was built in 1898. Ornamental Passions has a good post about the...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Grosvenor Hotel - head 06

Grosvenor Hotel - head 06

SW1, Buckingham Palace Road, Grosvenor Hotel

This 1860 building, by architect James Knowles Snr, is studded with many portrait busts of which we believe only these 14 are representat...

Wall of the Ancestors - middling

Wall of the Ancestors - middling

SE8, George Beard Road, Aragon Tower, north-east (riverside) wall of

According to the plaque these are, clockwise from top left: Dave O'Hara, Tommy Martin, Sir Francis Drake, Metrina. Wall of the Ancestors...

4 subjects commemorated, 1 creator