Blue Plaques – there seem to be quite a few. In Bennett Park alone there are three. Having seen them a few times, I thought I’d look them up. If you know of others, please contact the bugle!
The most interesting one is in the big building at the end of the road – called The Blackheath Art Club (even though the Blackheath Expensively Renovated Flats might be a better title). It was the site of the GPO Film Unit, where the film Night Mail was made:
Bearing in mind this was made in 1936, and was a big success, it must have been an exciting place to work. There is more about the GPO film unit here.
Then there is Donald McGill down at the other end. According to Wikipedia, he was the best known illustrator of saucy seaside postcards… And was fined by the courts under the 1857 obscene publications act, because of his designs in 1954.
Finally there is another one almost opposite McGill, belonging to Arthur Eddington.
Eddington was a mathematician and astronomer. He was the first English-speaking astronomer to properly understand Einstein’s theory of Relativity, was a Quaker, a conscientious objector, and is about to be portrayed by Doctor Who (alright, David Tennant) in a BBC Drama called Einstein and Eddington, alongside Gollum from Lord of the Rings.
And next time you look up at the moon, have a look for Eddington Crater.
Licensed under a 
4 Comments
December 8, 2008 at 3:02 am
[...] was an American novelist and short story writer who lived in Blackheath in 1856. There’s a blue plaque dedicated to him on Pond Road, and Gloria emailed me (ages ago) to suggest a post about him. [...]
March 27, 2009 at 8:50 am
[...] posted more lately – I’m hoping to have something very interesting related to the Blackheath Arts Club / GPO building [...]
March 30, 2009 at 2:35 pm
There’s a polar explorer blue plaque at 3 Eliot Place, James Ross.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=eliot+place+se3&sll=51.467777,0.000515&sspn=0.006817,0.019226&ie=UTF8&ll=51.467777,0.000515&spn=0.006817,0.019226&z=16&iwloc=addr&layer=c&cbll=51.467789,0.000702&panoid=pwxGRQAU7v0m3J3r517q6g&cbp=12,183.07705776897694,,0,5
April 1, 2009 at 1:34 pm
[...] 1930’s propaganda movie filmed in Blackheath Jump to Comments Now here’s a real discovery… The rather wonderful building at the end of Bennett Park, named “The Blackheath Arts Club”, and adorned with a blue plaque, was home to the GPO Film Unit, as mentioned back when this blog was only a baby. [...]