Ruth's Blog

Louth Museum recently hosted a visit by Mr Yannis Tsaousis, the Greek Ambassador, and his wife who were returning a plaque commemorating Greece’s national poet, Andreas Kalvos.

Since October, the plaque – which is made of heavy marble and can normally be seen in the museum’s Town Gallery – has been on display at the Hellenic Residence, a part of the Greek Embassy, in London.

Kalvos (1792-1869) is buried in the graveyard of St Margaret’s Church, Keddington, alongside his wife who ran a school in High Holme Road, Louth, during the 1860s.

Ruth Gatenby, museum archivist, said: ‘We are proud to have strong links with the Greek community. And we felt honoured that the ambassador chose to make a personal visit rather than simply returning the plaque by a courier.’

In 1961, J W White, a former curator of the museum, was awarded the Golden Cross of the Greek Order of the Phoenix for his ‘most valuable contribution in discovering precious information’ on the life of Andreas Kalvos.