Plaque of the Week No.117

Return of the Plaque of the Week!
Our Plaque of the Week series returns for a 12 week run…
You've seen them all over the city: discs, tablets, cameos and plaques commemorating the great and the good of London Town. Wednesday is our new day for tracking down London plaques (Blue or otherwise) and putting them center stage on the Daily Constitutional. This week…
A famous name on the British High Street, W.H Smith has its origins as a bookseller way back in 1792, when it was founded by H.W Smith, who passed the business on to his son (W.H The Elder).
W.H the younger is commemorated in the plaque pictured (located at 12 Hyde Park Street, W2). He joined the family firm in 1846. Smith also rose to become First Lord of the Treasury in The Marquess of Salisbury’s government. He is also credited with being the first man to go into print with the theory that Francis Bacon was the true author of the plays of William Shakespeare.
W.H Smith is the oldest chain store in the world.
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