Blue Plaque unveiling for Nelly Thornton Spirit of Ecstasy model

A small group representing the RREC was invited by the Royal Leamington Spa Town Council to the unveiling of a Blue Plaque honouring Nelly Thornton, famously known as the model for the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.

Although registered at birth as ‘Nelly’, she later became known as Eleanor Velasco Thornton. Whether the name change was a result of preference or a desire to better herself is not known.

‘Nelly’, as she appears on the blue plaque, was celebrated by her great-grandson, Tim Moorby, and great-great-grandchildren, Jasmine and Theodore along with their Mum, Danielle.

Tim unveiled the plaque which is situated at 24 Charlotte Street in Leamington Spa. They were joined by esteemed guests Peter Armstrong, CEO of the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, Sara Riccabone, Curator at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu and Town Mayor, Councillor Sarah Boad.

RREC Chairman Philip Brooks and Yorkshire Section Chair, Shelley Royce attended on behalf of the Club and were regaled with stories by Tim Moorby about Nelly’s life, her relationship with Lord Montagu, and how she is believed to have been the model for the most iconic legend in automotive history.

Born in London in April of 1880, for a brief period, Nelly lived on Charlotte Street, Leamington Spa with her parents, Fred and Sarah Ann, and siblings Fred and Rose.

She left school at sixteen and trained as a secretary. The links to Rolls-Royce began even before the Company’s first car was conceived. In 1897, Eleanor went to work for Claude Goodman Johnson who ultimately became known as ‘the hyphen in Rolls-Royce’. He was the Company’s first Managing Director. At the time, Johnson was Secretary of the newly formed Automobile Club of Great Britain. Through this office, Eleanor would have met all the famous motoring pioneers of the day, including Charles Rolls and more formatively, John Edward Scott-Montagu as he was known before he inherited the title Lord Montagu of Beaulieu.

In 1902, impressed by her secretarial abilities and beguiling presence, Scott-Montagu persuaded Eleanor to join the office of ‘Car Illustrated’, a brand-new motoring magazine which he was preparing to launch and edit. She became his personal assistant and helped maintain the publication over the next thirteen years.  

Their relationship developed into a love affair, which resulted in a daughter, Joan Eleanor Thornton. Aware that being a single mother would jeopardise her employment, Eleanor made the heartbreaking decision to give her child up for adoption. The relationship, and their child, remained known only to a small circle to avoid scandal in high society.

Lord Montagu commissioned his friend, renowned sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes, to design a distinctive mascot for the bonnet of his Rolls-Royce.

In 1911, Sykes’ created the legendary Spirit of Ecstasy, for which Eleanor is believed to have posed. Adopted by the makers of ‘the Best Car in the World, the figurine became one of the most recognised global legends.

Tragically, on 30 December 1915, Nelly drowned with hundreds of other passengers when the SS Persia, on which she was travelling with Montagu through the Mediterranean, was torpedoed by the German U boat, U38. Lord Montagu survived the sinking.

For the rest of Lord Montagu’s life, Eleanor remained with him in spirit and immortalised on the bonnet of many Rolls-Royce cars.

The Moorby children with their father, Tim were treated to a ride in a Rolls-Royce offered by RREC Chairman, Philip Brooks. He chauffeured the family in a 1954 Silver Dawn from Charlotte Street to the Town Hall, where guests gathered for speeches and reflections on Nelly’s legacy.

The Mayor of Leamington Spa, Councillor Sarah Boad, said: “The woman seemingly in‑flight mascot we know for sitting proudly at the front of this prestigious car has a story behind it that brings a fascinating link and history to Leamington Spa.

“The Blue Plaque commemorates this famous image of Nelly, a resident of our wonderful town, for future generations.”

She also thanked the Blue Plaque Group for ensuring Nelly’s story continues to be remembered.

Peter Armstrong, British Motor Museum CEO, said: "The thousands of stories around cars never fail to fascinate. The British Motor Museum is full of the stories of the people who make them, the engineers who obsess over them, the designers who break the mould, and in Nelly's case, the person who inspired the figure on the Rolls Royce.

“Nelly was a part of British history, and it was an honour to attend the unveiling of her Blue Plaque"

Shelley Royce said: “It was a pleasure to attend the event, which was a fitting tribute to Eleanor Thornton, and a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. 

“The Spirit of Ecstasy remains one of the most famous and admired motoring mascots in the world, standing as an enduring symbol of both excellence and the Rolls-Royce brand.”

Philip Brooks offered his thoughts about the ceremony: “What a privilege to encounter living Rolls-Royce history in the form of the delightful Moorby family, direct descendants of Eleanor Thornton, the mystical figure who has been captured for all time in the mascots adorning the cars we so much revere. It was an honour to meet with the family and to be part of this special ceremony to unveil the plaque to ‘Nelly’.

Eleanor Thornton’s great grandson, Tim Moorby was also asked for his comments and has provided this very thoughtful reflection:

It is a real personal privilege to know that I am a descendant of the lady who graces some of the finest motor cars in the world.   It is true to say that she is the original of the most famous motoring mascot across the world because the story is that hers is the distinctive pose that the Spirit of Ecstasy was modelled on.

Nelly Thornton - or as she would rather be known, Eleanor Velasco Thornton - was clearly a young lady ahead of her time.  She must have had a very modern outlook, such that I am sure she would rapidly adjust to current times, even though she was born in 1880.   Her modest background did not prevent her from achieving greatness in her own special way.   Initially she was a life model for a bohemian artist's collective on the Kings Road in Chelsea.  But that was a springboard for greater things. She was clearly very driven in what she achieved, both as an actress, a model, an artist's muse, and in her role in promoting early motoring with her first job at the embryonic RAC, and then as office manager of The Car Illustrated magazine from 1902.

Her story speaks of great passion, both in her working life, and into her private life.   It is quite clear that she and John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, shared a deep yet forbidden love for each other, secretly as initially Lord Montagu was already married, but once that marriage had come apart, then afterwards due to the differences in their social standing.  She was always known as "Thorn" by Lord Montagu.   From that love was born my grandmother in 1903. For the family, the tragedy is that, under the social conventions of the day, she was not allowed to keep the baby when she was born.  It is  known that Lord Montagu did not use The Spirit mascot on his personal Rolls-Royce, but instead used a precursor statuette known as The Whisper,   also produced by the same sculptor Charles Sykes and modelled on Eleanor Thornton, as a young woman in fluttering robes with her forefinger to her lips -  perhaps a not so clandestine  allusion to the secret love of his life.

And yet that passionate love must have endured, for the story is told in the family, of how when the SS Persia was torpedoed in December 1915, that John Montagu tried to give his Grieve Waistcoat (a sort of early life jacket) to Eleanor, but she refused and insisted he wore it.  Lord Montagu's statement to the American consul in Malta on January 1916,  describing the events of the ship being torpedoed and sinking,  does not mention Eleanor Thornton by name,  but it is tempting to think that  the line "trying to pull with me a lady passenger who happened to be near me"  is an oblique reference to the loss of his love.   He goes on to describes how the extra buoyancy of that Grieve Waistcoat was the only thing that stopped him from being sucked down with the sinking ship.

My children, Jasmine (3) and Theodore aged (20 months) were with me on the day. Sadly, my eldest son William, aged twenty-five had also planned to attend but was not able to make it.

The following source material was used in preparing this piece:

‘The Lady in the Legend’ – article written by Paul Tritton, published in the Rolls-Royce Motors Journal No 15, 1979

Further details about the Rolls‑Royce Enthusiasts’ Club, headquartered in Northamptonshire, can be found at www.rrec.org.uk.