A ceramic disc embedded in the facade. It marks a place where a great mind once dwelled. This is the George Meredith Blue Plaque. It commemorates the poet and novelist George Meredith. The plaque is located at 7 Hobury Street in Chelsea. The Greater London Council erected it in 1976.
George Meredith was born in Portsmouth in 1828. His life was marked by both literary success and personal struggles. He married Mary Ellen Nicolls in 1849. It proved to be an unhappy marriage. Meredith later said, “No sun warmed my roof-tree; the marriage was a blunder.”
Despite marital problems, Meredith’s literary career began to flourish. He published poems and articles. His first work of fiction appeared in 1856. It was titled The Shaving of Shagpat: an Arabian Entertainment. George Eliot praised it as “a work of genius.”
Meredith’s personal life took a dramatic turn. His wife had an affair with Henry Wallis. She eventually left Meredith to live with Wallis. This experience deeply affected him. It influenced his later work.
He worked as a publisher’s reader for Chapman and Hall. He read about ten manuscripts a week. Meredith discovered Thomas Hardy’s talents. He advised Hardy to rewrite his first novel. Meredith felt it was too “socialistic.” He feared it would damage Hardy’s career. With Meredith’s help, Hardy produced Far From the Madding Crowd.
Meredith remarried Marie Vulliamy in 1864. They had two children. The couple purchased Flint Cottage in 1867. It remained their home for the rest of their lives.
His best-known work is The Egoist: a Comedy in Narrative. It was serialized in the Glasgow Weekly Herald. The novel explores comedy. It draws on traditions of Molière and Congreve.
Meredith’s friends included many leading figures. Among them were Herbert Asquith and John Morley. Asquith recalled Meredith’s conversations. He said they were sprinkled with gems and never boring.
Meredith supported women’s suffrage. He believed women had brains. He felt they could be helpful to men. However, he opposed the militant tactics.
Frank Harris met Meredith for the first time. He described him as one of the handsomest men he had ever seen. Harris considered Meredith second only to Shakespeare, Goethe, and Cervantes.
Marie Meredith died in 1885. George Meredith’s health declined. He suffered from gastric ailments and deafness. He continued to write despite these challenges.
George Meredith died at his home in 1909. He left behind a legacy of poetry and novels. His works explored Victorian society. He questioned its narrow perspectives. The George Meredith Blue Plaque stands as a tribute to his life. It honors his contributions to literature. It reminds us of a man who combined genius with personal struggles.