Bruce Grove, in
Tottenham, North London, was for many years home to several Quaker families, including
Robert Howard, Luke Howard's elder son, and it was to his house, No 7 Bruce Grove, that
Luke returned to live in his last years, with his sister Elizabeth Howard nearby.
Though Luke's profession was that of a pharmaceutical chemist, his
"hobby" was Meteorology. In 1802, he gave his paper "On the Modifications
of Clouds" to a meeting of the Askesian Society, and the names he devised then for
the four main types of cloud - Cirrus, Cumulus, Nimbus and Stratus - have, in their
various combinations, stood the test of time and are still in global use today. A book was
published in 2001 entitled "The Invention of Clouds" by Richard Hamblyn (Picador
ISBN 0-330-39194-1) which describes the background to Luke's work, places it in the
context of scientific thought of the day, and traces the development of Meteorology as a
science. John A. Day, an American meterologist, has written about Luke Howard in his
"Book of Clouds", and this, and other material can be viewed on his Cloudman web pages.
In April 2002, English
Heritage in conjunction with the Met Office
erected a Blue Plaque to "Luke Howard, Namer of Clouds" on No 7 Bruce Grove,
which was unveiled by Michael Fish (the senior weatherman for BBC TV). The family
was represented by Tony Howard (Robert's Gt-Grandson) with members of his family, and also
by Oliver Howard, Raymond Lloyd, Richard Lloyd and Nick Putz who descend from John Eliot
Howard. Both the local Quaker Meeting and the Christian Brethren of Tottenham were also
represented to make the link to Luke's Christian background. The staff of the Bruce Castle Museum
of the London Borough of Haringey welcomed everyone back to their premises for a buffet
lunch. |
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