Edwin Lerner

Charlie Chaplin Blue Plaque Unveiled in South London

Charlie Chaplin, one of the greatest stars of early cinema, has been honoured with an English Heritage blue plaque at his former London home in Glenshaw Mansions on Brixton Road in Kennington. The blue plaque was unveiled by the British comedian and Chaplin admirer Paul Merton, Chaplin’s granddaughter Kathleen, a singer, was also present with her seven-year-old son. Christer Jonsson, a Swedish comedian and magician, who had come complete with battered top hat and cane, demonstrated Chaplin’s famous tramp walk after the unveiling.

Charlie Chaplin portrait circa 1920.  Photo Credit: © Public Domain via Strauss-Peyton Studio. Charlie Chaplin portrait circa 1920. Photo Credit: © Public Domain via Strauss-Peyton Studio.

Chaplin had no birth certificate but it is believed that he was born in Walworth in 1899. He endured what he called ‘a forlorn existence’ with an alcoholic and largely absent father and a mother beset by mental problems who was eventually institutionalised. In 1908, however, his fortunes were looking up and he got his break with the company of the famous impresario Fred Karno. Despite Karno’s doubts about ‘the pale, puny sullen-looking youngster’ he was an instant hit with London music-hall audiences and a move to America soon beckoned.

The flat was fondly remembered by Chaplin in his 1964 autobiography as his ‘cherished haven’. Today, Glenshaw Mansions – newly built when Chaplin and his brother moved in – survives much as they must have known it, despite the bomb that fell nearby during the Second World War. The building was referred to in Chaplin’s novella, Footlights (first published in 2014).

Charlie Chaplin Blue Plaque in London Charlie Chaplin Blue Plaque in London. Photo Credit: © English Heritage.

The Chaplin brothers moved into the four-storey mansion block and spent £40 on furnishings, £15 more than they had budgeted. The money bought a couch, two armchairs, a fretwork Moorish screen lit by a yellow bulb and a tasteful female nude portrait. Chaplin described the design as ‘a combination of ‘a Moorish cigarette shop and a French whore-house – but we loved it’. He left for America in 1910, leaving a note for Sydney because he disliked goodbyes. Although Chaplin found widespread fame and fortune in America, his comedic roots began in the music hall and vaudeville scene of his home city.

Charlie Chaplin Statue in Leicester Square, London.  Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.  Charlie Chaplin Statue in Leicester Square, London. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

Edwin Lerner

Named Edwin (an early king of Northern England) but usually called ‘Eddie’, I conducted extended tours around Britain and Ireland for many years and now work as a freelance guide and tour manager with a little writing and editing on the side.  I specialise in public transport and walking…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like

Stepping Into London’s West End Limelight for Black History Month

London’s West End has long been a place of fun and entertainment – theatres, cinemas, and nightclubs. We look to the stages and large cinema screens to admire our modern-day idols and hope to meet them in the flesh. For Black History Month, we look at some familiar places in London's West End and discover the people who were not just entertainers; but pioneers, performing on stages and working hard to increase the rights of Black citizens.

Read more

Notting Hill Carnival 2022

Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street festival in Europe.  It was started in the 1960s as a way for Caribbean communities, part of the Windrush Generation to bond and celebrate their cultural traditions. Now taking place every August Bank Holiday weekend in the streets of London W11, the Notting Hill Carnival is an amazing array of sounds, colourful sights, and social solidarity.

Read more

GUIDE LONDON represents the membership of the Association of Professional Tourist Guides