Ivor Novello – 11 Aldwych
Thirty-eight years above the stage
Ivor Novello – born David Ivor Davies in Cardiff in 1893 – was one of the most celebrated entertainers of the first half of the twentieth century: composer, playwright, musical-theatre star and matinée idol. His “Keep the Home Fires Burning” (1914) was among the most popular songs of the First World War, and he wrote and starred in a run of hit West End musicals.
For 38 years, from 1913 until his death in 1951, Novello lived in a flat on the top floor of what is now the Novello Theatre at 11 Aldwych. He was openly gay within his own circle, though the law made public acknowledgement impossible; his partner of some 34 years was the actor Bobbie Andrews, and theirs was the open secret of theatrical London. He died in this flat in 1951, hours after a performance in King’s Rhapsody. An English Heritage blue plaque marks the building.