Wall sculptures of social reformers to be unveiled at Holcroft Court

An event to unveil wall sculptures of social reformers Thomas and Fanny Holcroft will be held at Carburton Street in September.

The one metre diameter bronze reliefs will adorn the wall of Holcroft Court housing estate on its northern elevation.

Holcroft Court was designed by Micheal Gold for Frederick MacManus and Partners and built between 1966 and 1971 as part of an urban renewal scheme that replaced slum housing in what was the northern part of Hanson Street.

It was named after Thomas Holcroft (1745-1809) who was born in London and came to live in Clipstone Street in 1778. He worked as a stable boy, shoemaker, and tutor before achieving fame as an actor, playwright and poet.

A political radical and friend of Thomas Paine and William Godwin, he championed the cause of the poor, and his activities with the Society of Constitutional Reform led to his arrest in 1794 on a charge of treason. Although he was later acquitted his brief imprisonment ended his career and left him in poverty.

His daughter Fanny Holcroft (1780-1844) was a novelist, dramatist, and translator. She wrote the anti-slavery poem “The Negro” one of three of her works published in the Monthly Magazine in 1797.

Holcroft Court was originally intended as a private housing development but it was later bought by Westminster City Council. Today it is home to around 800 residents who are a mix of council tenants and leaseholders.

Alongside the unveiling ceremony there will be entertainment and refreshments.

Plans for the Holcroft sculptures have been championed by local resident Denise Julien, with support from the Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood Forum which recommended funding for the project from Westminster Council’s neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy.

The unveiling event for the artwork will be at 4pm on Tuesday 30 September 2025 at the north entrance of Holcroft Court, Carburton Street, London W1W 5DF.

Please support The Fitzrovia News. Consider helping us cover our costs by visiting our secure payment page.