Blue Plaques St Albans: our latest plaques

Frederic Kitton

Kitton came to St Albans in the 1880s and started to produce his iconic sketches of local medieval buildings and scenes. Many of these appeared in the 1893 limited edition of St Albans Historical and Picturesque authored by Charles Ashdown and some were later released as postcards by his widow. At the same time he wrote authoritative books and papers on Dickens and his illustrators, being at one time vice-president of the Dickens Fellowship. He continued to work on both of these themes for the rest of his life. Kitton resided in ‘Richmond Lodge’, Church Crescent, moving to ‘1 Lawn Villas’ in Verulam Road and then from about 1897 to Pre Mill House outside the city on the Redbourn Road. Unfortunately his health failed and surgery for a gastric problem was ineffective and he did not fully recover; he died in a nursing home in Marylebone on 10 September 1904, at the age of 48. He was accorded a grand funeral service in St Albans Abbey and then buried in the Hatfield Road cemetery.

Margaret Wix

The family home was Holywell House, No 40 Holywell Hill; Margaret lived here until 1925, when she moved to Glebe House, Watling Street. She was active in civic life and in the life of the Cathedral and Abbey Church. She was the 378th Mayor of St Albans in a line stretching back to John Lockey in 1552. Each Mayor, for the duration of the Mayoralty, is the monarch’s representative and the senior citizen of The City and District of St Albans, taking precedence over anybody and everybody else except HM’s Lord Lieutenant, who is the representative for the whole county. Mayors usually take a particular theme or charitable focus for their year in office. Miss Wix secured enough public donations and pledges to establish a fund to help women who needed financial support during their maternities. She was a champion of education and in 1955 the Margaret Wix Primary School was opened in High Oaks and named in her honour.

Thomas Kitchin

As an engraver, Kitchin showed a fine technical facility, the lettering clean and assured, and the etched decoration from his workshop was among the most impressive of all English rococo work. He appears in the Royal Kalendar as hydrographer to the king. Retiring to St Albans to live at 7 Fishpool Street, Kitchin continued map-making to the end of his life. Clues, however, to his personal life are meagre, although it is known that he was extremely active in the Baptist community and served as deacon of his chapel. His will, which requests burial ‘with as little expense as may be’, reveals his modesty. Kitchin died in St Albans on 23 June 1784 and was buried in St Albans Abbey on 29 June.

Betty Entwistle

This plaque commemorates the life of Betty Entwistle who was the first female Town Clerk in England and went on to be the first Chief Executive Officer of St Albans City & District Council. The plaque was installed at her place of work (The Grange) which is now the pub The Saint & Sinner, 16 St Peters Street St Albans.

Read More about Betty Entwistle here.

Arthur Melbourne-Cooper

A  blue plaque has been installed on the Odyssey Cinema to Arthur Melbourne-Cooper who built the first cinema in Hertfordshire, the Alpha, on the site in 1920s. The plaque was unveiled by Jan Harlan, a producer and brother-in-law of the Director Stanley Kubrick.

Read More about Arthur Melbourne-Cooper here.

E R Hughes

The blue plaque to celebrate the life of Pre-Raphaelite painter ER “Ted” Hughes was unveiled on Saturday July 22 at his last home at 3 Romeland. Hughes is not as well-known as he should be. He grew up under the influence of both his uncle, Arthur Hughes, and William Holman Hunt, who were members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He moved to St Albans in 1913 and wrote about how he loved the historical atmosphere of the city. Born in London, Edward Robert Hughes received his first training from his uncle Arthur, and spent much of his childhood surrounded by his uncle’s artistic and literary friends, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Ford Madox Brown, John Ruskin and Lewis Carroll. Hughes took lessons at an art school in London, before entering the Royal Academy schools at the age of 16 where he was an outstanding student, winning a silver medal.

Read the St Albans Times article here

Frederick Sander

On Saturday 10th June 2023 at 3pm at 21 George Street St Albans, Hertfordshire, a blue plaque commemorating the life of Frederick Sander, who was a world-famous horticulturist, was installed at the site of his first shop in St Albans. Frederick’s great granddaughter, Anne Sander, and the family were present . 

Read the Press Release here

Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking plaque unveiled on 18 February in Hillside Road. Commemorating the life of Stephen Hawking, world-famous theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author to be installed at his old family home. Stephen’s sister, Mary Hawking and other family friends were present.

Read the Press Release here

Edward Warner

Edward (Ted) Warner, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery after he was killed in action in WW I. He is recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres, Belgium, and on the St. Albans war memorial. The plaque was installed at a special ceremony on 11th November 2022 at what was Edward Warner’s family home, 38 Cannon Street, St Albans.  Read more about Ted Warner and further information on the installation here

Percival Blow

Percival Blow has been referred to as St Albans’ forgotten architect but five of his many existing buildings in St Albans are Grade II listed. Among many of his designs we still have two Gothic Revival style buildings for St Albans School, adjacent to the medieval Abbey Gateway, the former offices and striking Art Deco exhibition hall (now a café) for Ryder & Son on Holywell Hill, the neo-Georgian part of a former Barclays Bank in the High Street (now a restaurant), and the imposing 1-7 Victoria Street built in 1915 for drapers W S Green.  Read more about Percival Blow.

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough

During the reign of Queen Anne, as her close confidante and advisor, Sarah Churchill became the second most powerful woman in Britain. Her husband’s military success led to the Queen awarding them the titles of Duke and Duchess of Marlborough plus the Manor of Woodstock, which became the site of Blenheim Palace.

John and Sarah maintained their connections with St Albans, returning regularly to Holywell House. They exerted political influence in the town and purchased land. Many streets in St Albans are named after her family, for example, Marlborough Road, Jennings Road and Spencer Street. In 1685 they enlarged their house, requiring the diversion of Holywell Hill to create space. Although the house is long gone, this diversion still exists today as Grove Road. One of her greatest legacies to the town was the Marlborough Almshouses, completed and transferred to a Trust in 1736 for 18 men and 18 women, primarily veterans of her husband’s battles and servants, at a cost of £50,000 (the equivalent of £4million today). The building was renovated in 1850, when new brickwork and the pediments were added.  Read More about Sarah Churchill

Elsie Toms

Elsie Toms was a celebrated Albanian – Councillor, Alderman, Mayor, Magistrate, local historian and author – and Honorary Freeman of the city.

Prompted by the interest of new citizens of St Albans in their city, Dr Toms wrote her “The Story of St Albans” which was first published in 1962, and became ‘the’ book on the history of St Albans for many years. Later she also wrote “The New Book of St Albans”. She was one of the four founders of the St Albans Civic Society in 1961.

Read More about Elsie Toms 

Nathaniel Cotton

Nathaniel Cotton was an 18th century poet and doctor who developed a form of clinical psychology at a time when many with mental illnesses were being locked up in appalling institutions like the notorious “Bedlam”, London’s Bethlem Royal Hospital. Nathaniel established a sympathetic asylum, ‘Collegium Insanorum’, literally “a college for the insane”, on the corner of what is now College Street – named after his institution – and Lower Dagnall Street, St Albans. He died in St Albans on August 2 1788 and is buried in St Peter’s Churchyard. Stacey Turner, founder of the St Albans mental health awareness charity It’s OK to Say, unveiled a blue plaque on the site of Dr Cotton’s college on behalf of Blue Plaques St Albans to a sizeable gathering in March 2022.  Read more about Nathaniel Cotton

John Ball

The first plaque commemorates one of the leaders of the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381. Although the Revolt was ultimately unsuccessful it shook the whole country and nearly caused the unseating of King Richard II. The tenants and townsfolk of St. Albans also rose up, broke into the gaol, generally caused mayhem and besieged the St Albans Abbey. One of the leaders of the Peasants’ Revolt was John Ball. He was an English priest who was famous for his revolutionary sermons where he preached equality and freedom from oppression, “When Adam delved and Eve span, Who was then the gentleman? From the beginning all men by nature were created alike, and our bondage or servitude came in by the unjust oppression of naughty men”. Following the failure of the Revolt John Ball’s trial was held in the Moot Hall in St Albans, which was near the present Town Hall building, and is now St Albans Museum+Gallery. Ball was sentenced to death, offered the chance to repent but refused, and he was hanged, drawn and quartered in the presence of King Richard II on 15 July 1381. Read More about John Ball.

Read the BBC news coverage here.

Coming soon:

SAMUEL RYDER
THOMAS COLEMAN
JOHN CHAPPLE