The Enid Blyton Society

St. James's Church, Piccadilly, was where Enid Blyton's elder daughter Gillian Baverstock got married in August 1957 and where Enid Blyton's memorial service was held in January 1969.




Some people may remember a forums discussion about a photo of Enid taken at Gillian's wedding, which had a cheeky statue in the background. Here's the discussion, slightly shortened:

Poppy wrote:Me and my mum have just been looking through some pictures of the Enid Blyton exhibition on google images, excited that we are going back for another look soon. There was one lovely picture of Enid that came up, but unfortunately the background wasn't so nice... Take a look and see what you think...

Tony Summerfield wrote:... for Poppy's benefit I will say that the photo of Enid that she likes was taken at Gillian's wedding in 1957. I believe that I included a photo of the wedding in a recent Journal, which shows Enid in that outfit.

Daisy wrote:Looking at the picture, Poppy, I don't think anything in particular. The picture is familiar to me though. What strikes you about it?

Katharine wrote:No, I couldn't see anything particularly noteworthy about the photo either.

Poppy wrote:Look to the left of Enid.

Tony Summerfield wrote:I see what you mean, not really a wedding outfit!!

Anita Bensoussane wrote:More a birthday suit really!

Eddie Muir wrote:My thought too, Anita!

Moonraker wrote:Isn't she wearing the Emperor's new clothes?

Well, Tony and I thought the statue was likely to be in the grounds of St. James's Church so we decided to try tracking it down on a day trip to London in September 2014 (I've been meaning to get these pictures up ever since then - sorry it took so long!) and we were delighted to find it almost immediately! We couldn't photograph it from exactly the same position because a market was set up in the churchyard, meaning the statue couldn't be viewed from all angles, but here it is:






And here's Tony with the statue in the background:




Other statues and monuments in the churchyard:










This is supposed to be Jesus but it looks more like D. H. Lawrence to me!:




Inside the church. Some pews are reserved for homeless people to sleep on at certain times.









In Piccadilly:

I think I need to add Gillian's wedding photo to this as you can see the statues behind the group.

That's great, Tony!

Great photos.

Is Imogen one of the bridesmaids?

Wow i have been to that church several times and browsed around the market and never realised that those events took place there. I truly learn new things all the time by being a Blyton fan. Thanks Anita I will revisit the church next time I'm in London.

Wow — great photos, Anita, and thanks for Gillian's wedding photo too, Tony! I haven't been to St James's, so I'll have to look out for it when I'm in London some time.

Where abouts was Enid buried, by the way — is there a grave or memorial for her somewhere? I feel like I should know that, but I don't know that I've ever heard before.

Very interesting photos, Anita. And thanks to Tony for posting the wedding photo. How sharp it is.

Courtenay wrote:Where abouts was Enid buried, by the way — is there a grave or memorial for her somewhere? I feel like I should know that, but I don't know that I've ever heard before.

She was cremated and I'm pretty sure there is no grave or memorial. Anita or Tony will be able to confirm or deny that but I think I'm right.

Had a feeling that might be the case, or else we'd all be making pilgrimages!

Great photos, Anita and Tony.

Lovely photos, Anita and Tony.

I've seen the wedding photo in one of my books. Isn't the hearing aid in Kenneth's ear very noticeable. Has anyone else noticed it?

Yes, Julie, it is noticeable, I agree. A lovely photo though.... looking at the bridesmaids I am wondering if Imogen is one of them... surely she would be?

Wonderfully iconic photos and details - thank you so much Tony and Anita. We are so lucky to have you both looking for information on Enid.

Thanks for the comments on the photos.

Lucky Star wrote:Wow i have been to that church several times and browsed around the market and never realised that those events took place there.

I had also been to that market a couple of times in the past without realising that the church had any connection to Enid Blyton.

Lucky Star wrote:

Courtenay wrote:Where abouts was Enid buried, by the way — is there a grave or memorial for her somewhere? I feel like I should know that, but I don't know that I've ever heard before.

She was cremated and I'm pretty sure there is no grave or memorial. Anita or Tony will be able to confirm or deny that but I think I'm right.

You're right that there's no grave or memorial. Though Enid's books are perhaps the best memorial!

Katharine wrote:Is Imogen one of the bridesmaids?

I was thinking about that too. Unfortunately, the face of the bridesmaid on the far right is partially obscured but I was wondering if she might be Imogen. I'm far from certain though.

Anita Bensoussane wrote:

Lucky Star wrote:

Courtenay wrote:Where abouts was Enid buried, by the way — is there a grave or memorial for her somewhere?

She was cremated and I'm pretty sure there is no grave or memorial. Anita or Tony will be able to confirm or deny that but I think I'm right.

You're right that there's no grave or memorial. Though Enid's books are perhaps the best memorial!

I can vouch for that as Jane and I spent hours looking for it! Good photos although I couldn't see any statues in Tony's photo. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place...