In 1793 the author of Memoires D'Outre-Tombe, Chateaubriand, 1768 - 1848, lived as an émigré in a garret close to this site and began his literary career. He returned in 1822 as French Ambassador when he resided in Portland Place.
Site: Chateaubriand + Public Mortuary & Coroner’s Court (1 memorial)
W1, Paddington Street
Feb 2026: The Newsletter (Spring 2026) contained an article by Frances Kerner about this memorial, not the plaque, but the wall to which the plaque is attached. As we write, the newsletter is not yet available to the public so we’ll give a summary here.
The wall was part of the substantial arched entrance to the road which led to the Public Mortuary and Coroner’s Court. Designed by the architects Henry Saxon Snell (1831-1904) and Son this opened in 1888. It was situated on ground immediately to the west of the garden, about halfway along. An access road from Paddington Street was carved out of the west edge of the garden. The builders were Wall Bros (possibly Charles Wall?)
Damaged by WW2 bombs the building was eventually demolished, the arch too, all but this one section. The article has a drawing of the building together with its ornate arch, of which this is the right (east) wing. The left wing contained a pedestrian entrance arch. At about this time Saxon Snell was also designing the Holborn Union Infirmary on Archway Road, which was for many years the Archway Wing of the Whittington Hospital.
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