Erection date: 1949
Francis Baily (1774 - 1884)
London County Council
{Full inscription not known.}
We can find no image of the plaque, neither a close-up nor one showing it in situ.
This black and white photo was taken by the London County Council in 1949 in order to determine a suitable location for the memorial prior to it being erected, this being marked with a blue dot, and is published with the permission of The London Archives. TLA reference code .
Old photos can lead one off in other directions. The frieze above the shopfront gives the name of the organisation occupying the ground floor. It reads: "IPF Infantile Paralysis Fellowship" now the .
We thank Steve Roffey for his work on the history of this plaque. See also .
Site: Francis Baily - WC1 (1 memorial)
WC1, Saint Pancras, Tavistock Place, 37
Francis Baily had lived at no.37 Tavistock Place. An shows this to have been a substantial house and garden. This was demolished and in 1898 the Passmore Edwards Settlement (later the Mary Ward Settlement/House) was built there.
So why is this pin not on Mary Ward House? A section of the road we now know as Tavistock Place (from Marchmont Street eastwards to Regent Square) used to be called Compton Street. In the late 1930s both sections were brought together under the name Tavistock Place and in 1938 the whole street was renumbered. This led to some confusion within the London County Council. Francis Baily had lived at the original no.37 Tavistock Place. In 1949 the LCC erected his plaque on the new no.37, an early 19th century building which still stands, shown in these photos. The blue dot on the photographs indicates where the plaque was located.
When the Survey of London spotted the error LCC was informed and in 1952 the plaque was removed.
Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in to see them