A Prime Minister (or two) in Lyme Regis

The bust shown on the left can be seen on the staircase at Lyme Regis Museum. It depicts William Pitt the Younger (1759 - 1806), who visited Lyme at the age of 14 in 1773. Just ten years later he became Prime Minister -- the youngest person ever to do so.

Like many people in those days, young William was brought here for his health. He came with his father, William Pitt the Elder, who had also served as Prime Minister a few years earlier.

While in Lyme, the Pitts rented "the Great House" in Broad Street, which was owned at the time by Eleanor Coade, the inventor of the decorative ceramic material known as Coade stone. The Great House was divided up into smaller properties in 1900, but a plaque on the wall of Boots the Chemist (below) records its location and its connection with the two generations of Prime Ministers.

You can read more about Notable People of Lyme on the Museum website.