English Heritage unveil blue plaque for Kenneth Williams
English Heritage has unveiled a blue plaque dedicated to comic actor Kenneth Williams, marking the 88th anniversary of his birth.
The star, beloved for his roles in radio comedies such as Round The Horne and Hancock's Half Hour, plus celebrated Carry On film roles, died in 1988.
The new plaque was dedicated earlier this week by his former co-star and confidante, Barbara Windsor, at Farley Court, a block of 1920s mansion flats built over Baker Street Tube station in central London, directly opposite Madame Tussauds' waxworks museum.
Williams lived on the top floor, in flat number 62, from 1963 - staying there for seven years at the height of his career. Whilst living at the property, the actor was co-starring in Round The Horne and appearing in film hits such as Carry On Screaming!, Carry On Camping and Carry On Cleo, some of the most loved of his career.
In his celebrated diaries, Williams wrote of his "elation" at moving into the property: "My bedroom looks out over Regent's Park. The trees are turning now and the sight is beautiful. I can see all the traffic twinkling down the Marylebone Rd - It's all so marvellous, I could cry."
Unveiling the new plaque, Windsor said: "Kenny was a one-off, a true original, and a great friend. I'm absolutely chuffed that English Heritage is celebrating him with a blue plaque."
However, this is not the first time Windsor has unveiled a blue plaque to her late co-star.
The British Comedy Society first honoured Kenneth Williams with a plaque on Marlborough House in 1994, dedicated by Windsor and Norman Wisdom (below).
English Heritage has in the past refused to honour comedians and comic actors like Williams with blue plaques, deeming them unworthy of such tribute. Other organisations such as the British Comedy Society have been established to pay tribute to such names.
A short distance from Farley Court, Marlborough House was the best known of Williams's residences, having been his home from 1972 until his death in 1988.
The plaque was re-dedicated in 2010 at the nearby New Diorama Theatre when Marlborough House was demolished. The society dedicated an additional blue plaque to the comedy star at Pinewood Studios, where the Carry On films were produced, in 1998.
More information about the English Heritage plaque can be found on their website
Here is a 1974 interview with Kenneth Williams, by Russell Harty: