Behind every plaque lies a story.
In two previous articles I mentioned the various types of plaque found in our city.
There are English Heritage blue ones, Southampton Council black ones to remember local people who had a connection to the Titanic, Black History Month have put up some in recent years, the Spitfire Makers Trust have ones remembering people and places involved in the local production of the plane, Bevois Mount History group have ones in their area, and there are red transport heritage ones, amongst others.
Biochemist, Sir Edward Penley Abraham (1913-1999), has a plaque where he was born at 47 Southview Road, Shirley. He attended King Edward VI School when it was at Havelock Road, near the Civic Centre. Working at Lincoln College, Oxford he was instrumental in the development of the antibiotics, penicillin and cephalosporin. The latter can be effective against penicillin resistant bacteria such as MRSA. Through the patent on cephalosporin he set up biomedical research charities, which received around £200 million.
Roy Chadwick (1893-1947), aircraft designer, has a plaque at 38 Chessel Avenue, Bitterne. He was responsible for the Lancaster in 1941 and the Vulcan in 1952. Roy also adapted the Lancasters used in the famous Dambusters raid on the Ruhr dam on 16th May 1943, so that they could fly at low level to release their ‘bouncing bombs.’
Alexander Ross Clarke (1828-1914), mathematician and geodesist, has a plaque at 21 Carlton Crescent. He lived there from 1854-1881 while being employed by the nearby Ordnance Survey. He calculated the size and shape of the Earth.
Herbert Collins (1885-1975) was a noted architect and worker for peace. An English Heritage plaque is on his home at 38 Brookvale Road, Highfield. A memorial gate and plaque from the City of Southampton Society is in Highfield Lane. He designed many properties in the Southampton area, such as the Uplands Estate, Ethelburt Avenue in Swaythling, and Bitterne Manor House.
Brigadier Martin Hotine (1898-1968), Adanac Park, Nursling. A brushed metal memorial was relocated from the Ordnance Survey’s Maybush offices. He designed the iconic triangulation stations used in surveying, with theodolites known as Trig Pillars. Over 6,000 were built, and although superseded by GPS, many remain.
Sir Henry James (1803-1877), who was a Director General of the Ordnance Survey, has a plaque on The Director General’s House, Rockstone Place,
John Jellicoe 1st Earl Jellicoe (1859-1935) was an Admiral of the Fleet, remembered for the First World War Battle of Jutland. Although seen negatively at the time, the battle succeeded in stopping the German navy from further sea operations in the war. His plaque is at 1 Cranbury Place.
RJ Mitchell (1895-1937), designer of the Supermarine Spitfire, has a plaque at 2 Russell Place, Highfield. The plane had its first test flight at Eastleigh in March 1936. There is another plaque in Hazel Road, Woolston, where the first Spitfire plane was built. It played an important role in the Battle of Britain in 1940.
John Everett Millais (1829-1896), artist, has a plaque in Portland Street, off Above Bar. A child prodigy, he became the youngest ever member of the Royal Academy at just eleven. The Pre-Raphaelite group of painters, poets and critics was founded at his London home in 1849. There is a Millais Road in Woolston.
Sir Arthur Henry Rostron has a blue plaque on the house where he lived from 1926-1940 at Chalk Hill, West End. As Captain of the Carpathia, he picked up all the Titanic survivors.
Joe Zammit (1926-2005) has a black plaque in a taxi shelter in Blechynden Terrace opposite the Central Station. Originally from Malta, he gave 62 years service to the Southampton taxi trade.
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