George Peabody commemorative dish to feature on BBC's 'A History of the World in 100 Objects' website - owner Len Rutter uploaded photo on off-chance
Published: 15 October 2010
by JOSH LOEB
A DISH commemorating the life of esteemed philanthropist George Peabody is among the objects flying the flag for London as part of a new BBC history project.
The glass dish, which dates from 1869, is so highly prized by its owner, Len Rutter, that he uploaded a picture of it to the BBC’s A History of the World in 100 Objects website, the subject of a series of Radio 4 programmes. The ornate piece now has a special feature dedicated to it.
Len, 62, has been a resident of Peabody housing in Pimlico for most of his life. Homes like the one he lives in were the brainchild of Peabody, a 19th-century American diplomat, banker and reformer who made his mark on London by building modern social housing for workers.
Today, Peabody, formerly the Peabody Trust, provide affordable housing for more than 50,000 people in the capital.
Len, who is semi-retired, having worked in retail for much of his career, said he owed a debt of gratitude to Peabody.
He said: “My great-great-grandparents were agricultural workers in Suffolk. They moved south and ended up in London. My great-grandparents and my grandparents were Peabody tenants.”
The glass dish was given to Len as a present by his former boss around four years ago.