Wakefield Historical Society is delighted to hear that George Gissing will be commemorated on a blue plaque in Exeter.
A contact from Exeter Civic Society writes:
“I know that George Gissing is already commemorated with a plaque both on his birthplace in Wakefield and on a house in which he lived in Chelsea. However, we have decided to commemorate him on Exeter too, not least because, with Exeter currently being a UNESCO City of Literature, we have been focussing on notable writers who have lived in the city. Recent plaques have commemorated Rev.Sabine Baring-Gould (who also had a link to Wakefield) and Mary Willcocks, both of them writers who were influenced by the people and places of Devon in their writings. George Gissing too, drew on the landscape and people of Devon in a number of his novels e.g. Denzil Quarrier and Born in Exile.
We are fortunate to have the benefit of some detailed research into George Gissing’s time in Exeter which was done by Richard Dennis, recently at UCL, and published a couple of years ago in the Gissing Journal. As a result we have been able to pinpoint not only the houses in which Gissing lived, but the address at which he rented a study for work, No 25 Heavitree Road, Exeter, and it is on this address that the plaque will be placed due to its relatively central location. Professor Dennis will be giving a lecture at the Devon and Exeter Institution here on the 7th December, entitled “George Gissing and Exeter: a transformative writer at a transformative time in his own life”. Details can be found on their website: https://devonandexeterinstitution.org/talks-and-lectures/. What we hope to do is unveil the blue plaque the following day, and details of the event will appear on our website here: https://exetercivicsociety.org.uk/.
Finally, if anyone is able to offer a financial contribution towards the cost of the plaque, however small, we’d be very grateful, and I can provide details of how to do this. Exeter Civic Society is a small society with limited funds; we have managed to put up a number of blue plaques in the recent past, but a sudden increase in the cost of plaques is making this one a challenge for us and assistance offered would be much appreciated.”
Exeter Civic Society, blue plaques team