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Bust

ICI - 2 - Mendeleeff

Inscription

Mendeleeff

Site: Imperial Chemical House - 9 portrait keystones (10 memorials)

SW1, Millbank, 9, Imperial Chemical House

For an idea of what this area used to be like see this . It was all redeveloped following the 1928 flood. This block was designed by Sir Frank Baines and built in 1929-31 as HQ for Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI). Aka 'Nobel House' it is now, 2016, occupied by Ofgem, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. The frontage boasts 9 portrait keystones of chemists and ICI directors: Cavendish is on the Horseferry Road frontage, Mendeleeff on the junction corner, the other 7 are on the river side, left to right: Lavoisier, McGowan, Nobel, Alfred Mond (ICI), Ludwig Mond, Priestley, Liebig. Each 5th floor keystone decorates an integrated window arrangement with the identifying name on the 4th floor balcony. In his book on London statues Osbert Sitwell reports a journalist  writing that these "masks" are "four times life-size" but he also writes that they are "seven storeys above the ground" so we have to allow for some exaggeration.

On the 5th floor are four magnificent statues by Charles Sergeant Jagger. See for photos. As well as these keystones Fagan did most of the other sculpture on the building, including the massive bronze entrance doors.

2017: We watched the 1947 film "Mine Own Executioner" which uses a few London locations. We recognised that of the last scene - a suicide at the top of a building - and thought it might be this one. But it's actually the MI5 building immediately to the south of Lambeth Bridge, Thames House, which was built by ICI at the same time as IC House and not used by MI5 until 1994.

There are two more portrait keystones on Nobel House, behind this building.

  has a useful assessment of this building, with photos of the sculptural work.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
ICI - 2 - Mendeleeff

Subjects commemorated i

Dmitri Mendeleev

Born Siberia. Earlier versions existed but in 1869 he published the first wid...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
ICI - 2 - Mendeleeff

Created by i

William Bateman Fagan

Born Bermondsey. Andrew Behan's researches have found that when he was baptis...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
ICI - 2 - Mendeleeff

Also at this site i

Faraday on the ICI building entrance doors

Faraday on the ICI building entrance doors

These doors are in the centre of the river frontage of the building. Mapping...

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Nearby Memorials

Greenwich roundels - Rodney

Greenwich roundels - Rodney

SE10, King William Walk, Discover Greenwich (Royal Naval College, Pepys Building)

The roundels on the north, river-facing, frontage are occupied by, left to right: Anson, Drake, Cook, Howard, Blake, Benbow, Sandwich, Ro...

1 subject commemorated
Charles I - beheaded

Charles I - beheaded

SW1, Whitehall, Banqueting House

In about 1945 Hedley Hope-Nicholson, a Charles I fan and central member of the Society of King Charles the Martyr, found three lead busts...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Dr John Langdon Down

Dr John Langdon Down

TW11, Kingston Road, Langdon Park

We could not get close enough to take easily legible photographs and initially read the dates as '1957' but given that Normansfield close...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Unknown bust 2

Unknown bust 2

SW1, South Eaton Place, 26

Bust 1, to the south, shows some damage but, we hope you agree, both busts represent the same man. But who? Only a few months later we c...

Mosaics - Queen Elizabeth II

Mosaics - Queen Elizabeth II

EC4, New Change, One New Change - roof terrace

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1 subject commemorated, 1 creator