One of the most celebrated musicians of the twentieth century, violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin, has been honoured with a blue plaque, English Heritage announced today (6 July). Menuhin’s plaque will mark 65 Chester Square, in Belgravia. It was in this six-storey house, built by Thomas Cubitt in 1838, that Menuhin lived, worked, and entertained for the last 16 years of his life. The lower-ground-floor vaults provided space for his expansive archive and collection of violins while a single open space on the fourth floor served as a studio. Much of Menuhin’s teaching and mentoring took place in the studio and he also practiced yoga there – including his famous headstand.

Professor William Whyte, Architectural historian and Chair of the Blue Plaques Panel, said: “Yehudi Menuhin was perhaps the most famous violinist of the 20th century. He was a child prodigy who began playing the violin at the age of five and didn’t stop for the next 80 years. He was also an impassioned humanitarian and idealist who believed that music was for everyone and that it had the power to transform lives. Through his recordings and his educational foundations, his legacy lives on and he is undoubtedly a worthy recipient of this blue plaque.”

Solo Cellist and Music Educator, Julian Lloyd-Webber, said: “Playing and recording Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Yehudi Menuhin conducting was one of the greatest privileges of my life and I am honoured and delighted to be unveiling this plaque in his memory.”

During the Second World War Menuhin gave hundreds of benefit concerts, often in combat zones. He performed to Holocaust survivors from liberated concentration camps, including at Belsen with Benjamin Britten, who became a lifelong friend.

Menuhin continued to be one of the most active musicians in the world as a performer, conductor, and teacher, as well as contributing to religious, social and environmental causes, up until his death from a heart attack in Berlin on 12 March 1999 at the age of 82, five days after giving his last concert.

The English Heritage London Blue Plaques Scheme is generously supported by members of the public.