{Plaque on the fountain:}
Lord from thy blessed throne
The griefs of earth look upon
God bless the poor
Teach them true liberty
Make them from strong drink free
Let their homes happy be
God bless the poor.
We wondered if the verse, by Robert Nicoll, was from a hymn, as the scansion seemed familiar. Then we realised that it fits the tune of 'God Save the King'
Site: Temperence Fountain - W8 (1 memorial)
W8, Marloes Road, Opposite Stratford Road
This shows two workhouses on the site below what is now St Margaret's Lane and north of what is now a terrace of houses on Lexham Gardens. The northern workhouse was Saint Mary Abbott's (built 1847 for Kensington) and the southern one was St Margaret and St John's (built 1853 for Westminster). By the St Margaret and St John's has been subsumed (in 1880) into Saint Mary Abbott's, and a porter's lodge has been built with a drinking fountain on Marloes Road.
In 1893 new buildings, designed by T. W. Aldwinckle (1844– 1920), facing Marloes Road including the porter's lodge were erected. But the design for the wall of the lodge, including the drinking fountain presumably, was provided by T. P. Figgis.
By 1933 St Mary Abbot's Hospital had shed its institutional role completely. In 1992, when the new Chelsea and Westminster Hospital opened on Fulham Road, St Mary Abbotts, along with three other hospitals, closed. The others were: Westminster Hospital, West London Hospital and St Stephen's Hospital (on the Fulham Road site).
Most of the St Mary Abbot's Hospital buildings were demolished and replaced with blocks of flats. The central western wing of the 1847 St Mary Abbot's workhouse has survived and been redeveloped as luxury housing, Stone Hall Gardens.
Information from and .
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of plaquesoflondon.co.uk
Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in to see them