In the United Kingdom, a blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
Contents |
English Heritage scheme
Perhaps the best-known blue plaque scheme is that which is run by English Heritage in London. English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of The scheme was founded by the (Royal) Society of Arts, in 1867, which erected plaques in a variety of shapes and colours. Most RSA plaques were chocolate brown in colour, and made by Minton, Hollins & Co. In 1901 the scheme was taken over by the London County Council (LCC), which gave much thought to the future design of the plaques, and eventually it was decided to keep the basic shape and design of the RSA plaques, with the exception that they would from now on be blue. London County Council (LCC was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889-1965 existence and the first London-wide general municipal Though this design was used consisently from 1903 to 1938, some experimentation occurred in the 1920s, and plaques were made in bronze, stone and lead. Shape and colour also varied. In 1921, a revision on the most common, blue, plaque design occurred, as it was discovered that glazed Doulton ware was cheaper than the encaustic formerly used. In 1938 a new plaque design was prepared by an unnamed student at the LCC's Central School of Arts and Crafts and was approved by the committee. It omitted the decorative elements of earlier plaque designs, and allowed for lettering to be better spaced and enlarged. A white border was added to the design shortly after, and this has remained the standard ever since. On the abolition of the LCC in 1965, the scheme was taken over by the Greater London Council. The Greater London Council (GLC was the top-tier Local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986 The scheme changed little, but the GLC was keen to broaden the range of people commemorated. The 252 plaques erected by the GLC include those to Sylvia Pankhurst, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Mary Seacole. Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst ( May 5, 1882 September 27, 1960) was a notable campaigner for the Suffragette movement in the United Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 1875 &ndash 1 September 1912 was an English composer who achieved such success he was called the "African Mahler " Mary Jane Seacole (1858 &ndash 26 May 1889 sometimes known as Mother Seacole or Mary Grant, was a Jamaican born Multiracial British Nurse In 1986, the GLC was disbanded and the Blue Plaques Scheme passed to English Heritage. So far, English Heritage has erected over 300 plaques in London, with many more shortlisted. English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of
English Heritage selection criteria
Please note that the following are selection criteria for English Heritage's Blue Plaque Scheme. They do not apply to all plaque schemes in the UK and elsewhere.
In order to be eligible for an English Heritage blue plaque, a figure must have been dead for twenty years or have passed the centenary of their birth.
Nominated figures must also meet the following criteria: be considered eminent by a majority of members of their own profession; have made an outstanding contribution to human welfare or happiness; have resided in a locality for a significant period, in time or importance, within their life and work; be recognisable to the well-informed passer-by, or deserve national recognition.
In cases of foreigners and overseas visitors, candidates should be of international reputation or significant standing in their own country.
It should also be noted that: EH plaques can only be erected on the actual building inhabited by a figure, not the site where the building once stood; buildings marked with plaques should be visible from the public highway; unless a case is deemed exceptional, a single person may not be commemorated with more than two plaques nationwide; proposals are be considered for the commemoration of sites of special historical interest.
Other plaque schemes
The notion of commemorative plaques and tablets is a very ancient one. Not all plaques are blue, and many are not ceramic.
There are thriving commemorative plaque schemes in Bath, Edinburgh, Brighton, Liverpool and elsewhere. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Brighton ( is a town on the south coast of England and with its neighbour Hove, forms the city of Brighton and Hove. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary A scheme in Manchester uses colour-coded plaques to commemorate figures, with each of the colours corresponding to his/her occupation. The Dead Comics' Society installs blue plaques to commemorate the former residences of well-known comedians, including those of Sid James and John Le Mesurier. Sid James (born Joel Solomon Cohen; 8 May 1913 &ndash 26 April 1976) was a South African Actor, who made John Le Mesurier (born John Charles Elton Le Mesurier De Somerys Halliley; 5 April 1912 &ndash 15 November 1983 was a BAFTA Award-winning English actor In 2003, the London Borough of Southwark started a plaque scheme which included living people in the awards [2]. Southwark or The Borough is an area of south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark, situated 1 Notably, a green plaque scheme is run in London alongside that of English Heritage by Westminster City Council, which is sponsored by groups campaigning for memorials. English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of The City of Westminster ( is a borough of London with city status. These schemes are often run by civic societies, district or town councils, or local history groups, and often operate with different criteria. Local history is the study of History in a geographically local context
Abroad, commemorative plaques schemes exist in Paris in France, Rome in Italy, and the USA (where they are known as 'Historical Markers', see below), among other countries. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Many foreign schemes were founded around the time of the London blue plaques scheme, and others pre-date it.
Notable plaques
- Plaques for George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix stand side by side on 25 and 23 Brook Street, Mayfair, London, W1. James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter Brook Street is one of the principal streets on the Grosvenor Estate in the exclusive Central London district of Mayfair. Mayfair is an area of central London, England, within the City of Westminster. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
- The fictional character Sherlock Holmes has a blue plaque on the supposed site of 221B Baker Street, London, W1, placed there on behalf of the Sherlock Holmes Museum which now occupies the site. Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. The Sherlock Holmes Museum is the most popular privately run Museum in London, England, dedicated to the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes
- William Wymark Jacobs author, had two blue plaques unveiled to him on the same day in 1998 in London and Loughton. William Wymark Jacobs ( September 8, 1863 &ndash September 1, 1943) was an English author of short stories and novels London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Loughton (ˈlaʊtən or lau-ton) is a town and Civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex.
- Willie Rushton has his blue plaque in Mornington Crescent tube station in recognition of the game played on the UK comedy radio show, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue. William George Rushton, commonly known as Willie Rushton ( 18 August, 1937 in Chelsea London – 11 December, 1996 Cromwell Mornington Crescent is a station in Camden Town in north west London, named after the nearby street. Mornington Crescent appears to have first made its appearance as a game featured in the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, sometimes abbreviated to "ISIHAC" or simply "Clue", is a BBC
- Benjamin Franklin (one of the Founding Fathers of the United States) once owned a property in Preston city centre, on the corner of Cheapside and Friargate. Benjamin Franklin ( April 17 1790 was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. The Founding Fathers of the United States are the Political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence or otherwise participated in the Preston ( ˈprɛstən is a city and local government district in Lancashire, England, located on the River Ribble. A Blue Plaque on the wall of the building commemorates the spot.
See also
- List of blue plaques
- Category:Buildings with blue plaques
- Historical marker
References
English Heritage, Blue Plaques: A Guide to the Scheme, 2002
Nick Rennison, The London Blue Plaque Guide, 2003
Derek Sumeray, Discovering London Plaques
Derek Sumeray, Track the Plaque, 2003
External links
- Blue plaque section of English Heritage's site — includes a list of London plaques organised alphabetically by person
- Blueplaque.com London blue plaque scheme — allows searching by address
- Blue Plaque Blog— A personal exploration of London's Blue Plaques
- Ulster History Circle
- Ulster History Society — links to blue plaque schemes in other areas
- Bourne Society — Croydon
- Loughton Town Council Blue Heritage Plaque Scheme — Loughton, Essex
- Blue Plaques of Muslim London — current and proposed plaques for London Muslims
- A list of Blue Heritage Plaques in Kingston upon Hull
- The Birmingham Civic Society — Blue Plaques
- Birmingham's Blue Plaques — Photographs of some of the plaques and sites where located. This list of blue plaques is an annotated list of people or events in the United Kingdom that have been commemorated by Blue plaques The plaques themselves are permanent signs A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or Sign to commemorate an event or person of Historic interest The London Borough of Croydon ( is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. Loughton (ˈlaʊtən or lau-ton) is a town and Civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.
- The Shady Old Lady's Guide to London Plaques — The stories behind the locations, plaques or no plaque.
- Manchester Blue, red and black plaques
- Cambridge City Council — Blue Plaque Scheme
- Llanelli Community Heritage blue plaques
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic