Erection date: 4/10/2012
Lord Byron, widely regarded as one of the greatest British poets was born here, 22 January 1788.
"Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine."
City of Westminster
John Lewis Partnership
Unveiled on National Poetry Day by JLP MD Simon Fowler and Westminster Mayor Cllr Angela Harvey. Lots of websites agree that the "Always laugh" quote is Lord Byron but not one gives a source and we can't locate it.
Site: Lord Byron (4 memorials)
W1, Holles Street, John Lewis
In the world of plaques this is an important site since the first ever official plaque (our P1) was placed by the (Royal) Society of Arts on a house here. Just a shame that it was lost and that replacing it has proved so troublesome.
Over the years there have been 4 Byron memorials here, which we have imaginatively labelled: P1, P2, P3, P4.
We thank Steve Roffey for the research on which these pages are based. Prime sources: , .
Also, in July 2025 we visited the in Cookham where Archivist Imogen was immensely helpful and provided some extra details to our understanding. She added that at various times John Lewis has used the Byron connection in its branding: c.1900 a portrait of Byron was included on the firm’s letterhead and then in the 1950s the foyer of the Byron Room Restaurant (the partners’ dining room we think) was decorated with a mural representing Byron’s life.
Sources include: .
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