Sir Henry Cooper Plaque

The blue plaque you are approaching marks the former site of the Thomas a Becket pub, a building that served as the daily training ground for one of Britain's most beloved boxing icons, Sir Henry Cooper. From 1954 to 1968, Cooper spent six days a week inside the gym located on the upper floor of this building, pushing himself through thousands of rounds of sparring. When the local council launched a public vote in 2007 to determine who should be honored with a permanent marker, the community chose to celebrate Cooper here to commemorate the grueling, sweat-soaked years he dedicated to his craft at this exact spot.