Ivor Novello Blue Plaque

About This Blue Plaque

Ivor Novello (1893-1951) was a renowned Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most influential figures in British musical entertainment in the first half of the 20th century. Best known for his musicals, songs and film scores, Novello wrote such enduring hits as “Keep the Home Fires Burning” and “We’ll Gather Lilacs”.

Born David Ivor Davies in Cardiff, Wales, Novello began his musical career as a singer in the choir of a local chapel. He moved to London as a teenager to pursue a stage career, adopting his mother’s maiden name as his stage name. Novello quickly found success, composing his first hit song “Keep the Home Fires Burning” in 1914 at the age of 21. He went on to write the scores for a string of immensely popular musicals in the 1920s and 1930s.

In addition to his prodigious musical output, Novello was also a prominent stage actor and theater manager. He took over the Strand Theatre in 1935, renaming it the Novello Theatre and using it to showcase his own works. Novello lived and worked in a flat on the top floor of 11 Aldwych, an impressive Edwardian building located in the heart of London’s theater district. It was here that he passed away from a coronary thrombosis in 1951, at the age of 58.

Fittingly for a man who devoted his life to the stage, Novello’s former home overlooks the Novello Theatre (since renamed back to the Strand Theatre) where many of his famous musicals were performed. His life and work are commemorated by an English Heritage Blue Plaque, erected in 1973 on the 22nd anniversary of his death. The plaque serves as a reminder of Novello’s enduring legacy as one of Britain’s greatest theatrical talents of the 20th century.