What did Michael Faraday brown plaque do at 48 Blandford Street?

The Story

Looking up at this modest storefront in Blandford Street, you're standing where a young Michael Faraday took his first steps toward becoming one of history's greatest scientists. In 1805, at just 14 years old, Faraday began his apprenticeship here as a bookbinder under George Riebau, whose shop not only provided him a trade but unknowingly set him on his path to scientific greatness. During his seven-year apprenticeship, Faraday spent countless hours reading the scientific books he was meant to be binding, particularly captivated by the encyclopedia entries on electricity and chemistry that would later define his groundbreaking career. It was through a customer of Riebau's shop that Faraday eventually received tickets to attend Humphry Davy's lectures at the Royal Institution - a pivotal moment that would transform the humble apprentice into one of the most influential scientists of the 19th century.