Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker.
The "official" scheme traces its origins to that launched in 1866 in London, on the initiative of the politician William Ewart, to mark the homes and workplaces of famous people.
There are also commemorative plaque schemes throughout the world such as those in Paris, Rome, Oslo, and Dublin; and in other cities in Australia, Canada, the Philippines, Russia, and the United States.
The earliest blue plaque to survive, also put up in 1867, commemorates Napoleon III in King Street, St James's.
[4] Byron's plaque was blue, but the colour was changed by the manufacturer Minton, Hollins & Co to chocolate brown to save money.
It was eventually decided to keep the basic shape and design of the Society's plaques, but to make them uniformly blue, with a laurel wreath and the LCC's title.
Professor David Edgerton and author and critic Gillian Darley were concerned that the scheme had been "reduced to a marketing tool for English Heritage".
[22] To be eligible for an English Heritage blue plaque in London, the famous person concerned must:[23] In cases of foreigners and overseas visitors, candidates should be of international reputation or significant standing in their own country.
Other members (as at September 2023) include Richard J. Aldrich, Mihir Bose, Andrew Graham-Dixon, Claire Harman, Gus Casely-Hayford and Amy Lame.
[26] The actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry was formerly a member of the panel, and wrote the foreword to the book Lived in London: Blue Plaques and the Stories Behind Them (2009).
[32][33] A small minority of GLC and English Heritage plaques have been erected to commemorate events which took place at particular locations rather than the famous people who lived there.
[35] In September 2023 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced the reintroduction of a national scheme, with Historic England as the lead developer.
[36] From mid 2024, the public will be invited to submit nominations, with eligibility criteria including a minimum of 20 years having passed since the death of the nominee, who must have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness.
[37] The first plaque in the scheme was unveiled in Ilkley, West Yorkshire on 23 February 2024, commemorating Daphne Steele, first Black matron in the National Health Service in 1964.
[4][41] Because of the rapidity of change in the built environment within the City, a high proportion of Corporation of London plaques mark the sites of former buildings.
In 2021, a Black Lives Matter plaque was erected at the Wolverhampton Heritage Centre (the former constituency office of Enoch Powell, where his Rivers of Blood speech was written) to commemorate immigrant rights activist Paulette Wilson, a member of the Windrush generation.
[83][84][85] In Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council and the Ulster History Circle are among a small number of groups administering blue plaques.
[92] Historic Environment Scotland, the Scottish heritage agency, has previously operated a national commemorative plaques scheme but, as of 2023, this was inactive.
[94][95] Wales does not operate a national blue plaque scheme, although in 2022 Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservative Group in the Senedd, called for the introduction of a country-wide approach.
There also exist several nationwide schemes sponsored by special-interest bodies, which erect plaques at sites or buildings with historical associations within their particular sphere of activity.
