Spot the blue plaque: famous residents of Marylebone

London’s streets are awash with blue plaques, those historical markers erected on the front of a building to publicise the fact that a famous figure once lived or worked there. The blue plaque scheme is the oldest of its kind in the world, and was originally thought up by the Society of Arts (now the Royal Society of Arts) in 1867. It continues to this day.  

Take a stroll around Bloomsbury, for example, and it would seem that virtually every residential street has at least one blue plaque on show. But we’re not in Bloomsbury. We’re in Marylebone. And it’s not a bad place to be. It has certainly appealed to a wide range of influential people in the past.

Now we’ve gathered together a small selection of notable former Marylebone residents. Some you may have heard of, some you may not, but either way, read on.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

Anderson’s plaque hails her as the ‘first woman to qualify as a doctor in Britain’. A celebrated physician, she co-founded the first hospital to be staffed by women, among a long list of other incredible achievements. She was also an active suffragette. Such is her legacy that a hospital was renamed after her a year following her death, while a secondary school for girls in Islington, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school, is named in her honour. Anderson lived at 20 Upper Berkeley Street, Marylebone.

Kenneth Williams
Known for his role in the Carry On films, Williams was equally well-known for his cutting wit and published diaries, which offer a fascinating insight into the life and times of this man. He didn’t succeed as a dramatic actor, but was lauded for his comic touches and voice roles. His work included regular appearances on BBC radio show Just a Minute, and Hancock’s Half Hour. Williams lived in Flat 62 at Farley Court just off the Marylebone Road between 1963 and 1970.

Octavia Hill
A social campaigner and housing reformer, Hill was one of three founders of the National Trust, and 2 Garbutt Place is listed by the blue plaque as being the place where her work began. Hill was an influential figure in the development of social housing, and became known for her work in housing management. She also promoted the benefits of having access to green spaces, and campaigned to save Hampstead Heath from development. Hill died in 1912 at her home in Marylebone.

Charles Babbage
A mathematician and inventor, Babbage is often called the ‘father of computing’ for his work in the development of the first computing machines, which ultimately led to the development of more sophisticated computers. Babbage was also an astronomer, and helped found the Astronomical Society (now the Royal Astronomical Society) in 1820. Babbage lived for over 40 years at 1 Dorset Street in Marylebone, and he died there in 1871.

Not all the blue plaques are, in fact, blue. Gabbage’s plaque in Marylebone is green. And if you’re on a ‘spot the plaques stroll’, you may come across brown, bronze and lead plaques too, while different shapes have also been used over the years.

Dodie Smith
Most likely you will have heard of The Hundred and One Dalmatians, but you may not know the identity of its author (yes, there was a book before the Disney film). Smith was the author, and she wrote children’s novels as well as plays, including I Capture The Castle. Though a Lancashire lass at heart, Smith was a longtime resident of Marylebone, and lived at 18 Dorset Square.

Wilkie Collins
The writer of such seminal works as The Moonstone and The Woman in White, Collins was born at 11 New Cavendish Street in Marylebone but his blue plaque is erected at his final home at 65 Gloucester Place. A playwright as well as a novelist, Collins was a longtime friend of Charles Dickens, and some of Collins’ writings were first published in Dickens’ journals. The Moonstone remains influential to this day, and is regarded as the first full-length detective novel in English fiction.

Of course, Marylebone has entertained many famous faces over the years, so we’re only just scratching the surface…