In a house on this site Thomas Chatterton died August 24th 1770.
Corporation of the City of London
Plaques are designed to be laid into brickwork, as this was on its first building. A rather complicated frame arrangement has been necessary to attach it to this cladding.
As far as we can tell this is the same actual plaque that was on the previous building. We've called that the 'first' building but it's possible that this plaque, or a predecessor, was erected on whatever stood on this site before the c.1970s brick building arrived.
Site: Thomas Chatterton - second (1 memorial)
EC1, Brooke Street
This memorial was moved here from its previous location.
See the first positioning of this plaque. In both manifestations the plaque is placed unusually and unnecessarily high, about 14 feet up. This makes it difficult to read, and being read is surely the very purpose of a plaque? We note that Chatterton's body was discovered in his attic room and wonder if this high placement is a nod to that fact - albeit misguided, in our opinion.
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