Update from the V&A Museum
I have recently been following up on the status of the Irene Mawer memorial plaque, a bronze relief of her as Pierrot.
This piece is a rare physical record of her mime career and I contacted the Victoria & Albert Museum to see if it was currently accessible. I have received a response from their team which sheds some light on its current whereabouts.
The museum confirmed that the plaque is currently held at V&A East Storehouse, their brand-new research facility near Hackney in East London. It was moved there as part of a massive relocation of the Theatre and Performance collections from their previous home in West London.
However, because the Storehouse is a working facility and the move was so vast, the plaque is not yet formally catalogued on the museum’s digital system. This means that, for the time being, it isn’t available for public viewing or research appointments.
Once it is properly catalogued, it will be possible to book a visit through their “Order an Object” service. While the museum couldn’t give me a specific date for when this will be, you can keep track of the facility’s progress and how to book appointments via the V&A East website.
https://www.vam.ac.uk/
The plaque and a collection of books were originally given to the privately run British Theatre Museum in 1964. When that museum’s holdings came to the V&A in 1974, they became “one of the founding collections of the V&A’s Theatre Museum” (personal email from V&A to me, 3 Feb 2026).
The plaque is a bronze relief sculpted by Arthur W. Banks. It shows Miss Mawer in profile as Pierrot from L’Enfant Prodigue. The design was also used for the medallions awarded in the Irene Mawer Solo Mime Competition.
If you would like to keep an eye on the plaque’s status yourself, you can use the V&A Explore the Collections search tool: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections?srsltid=AfmBOorqec23RCqQ3cwQgYkitrrywWAEDfdjm50GmG_1grC04KrWKMmT
By searching for “Irene Mawer” or “Arthur W. Banks,” you will be able to see when the record goes live. Once it appears, look for the “Order this Object” button, which will indicate it is ready for viewing appointments at the Storehouse.