Panel Members Prof David Cannadine Chair

Blue Plaques Panel Open Minutes

Minutes of the 41st meeting held at 11.00am on 13th June 2007 in The Library, DeVere Holborn Bars, Waterhouse Square

Panel Members Prof David Cannadine – Chair present: Dr Celina Fox – Vice-Chair Mr Christopher Beauman Mr John Gross Ms Julia Elton Dr Margaret Pelling Dr Jane Ridley Mr Stephen Fry Dr Gavin Stamp

Staff present for Mr John Cattell – Blue Plaques Secretary meeting: Ms Emily Cole – Head of the Blue Plaques Team Dr Susan Skedd – Blue Plaques Historian Mr Howard Spencer – Blue Plaques Historian Ms Caroline Mathews – Blue Plaques Coordinator Miss Libby Wardle – Blue Plaques Administrator

Item 1 – Apologies and Announcements

Apologies

1.1 Apologies for absence were received from Miss Maria Adebowale and Mr Nicholas Kenyon.

Announcements

1.2 Prof Cannadine welcomed Libby Wardle to the meeting as Blue Plaques Administrator. He expressed his regret that this was the final Panel meeting for Mr Gross and Mr Beauman, both of whom have served the maximum three full terms on the Panel. He thanked them warmly for their long years of devoted and distinguished service, and expressed his delight that the Panel would benefit from their wisdom in reconsidering the shortlist.

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 1 Declarations of Interest

1.3 Mr Fry and Ms Elton stated that they are both friends of relatives of David Gestetner (see 5.2).

Item 2 – Minutes of the October 2006 and March 2007 meetings

2.1 The minutes of the October 2006 meeting were agreed and were signed by the Chair as a correct record. They had been deferred until certain changes could be made and are now ready for publication on the English Heritage website.

2.2 The minutes of the March 2007 meeting were agreed and were signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Item 3 – Matters Arising and Secretary’s Report (Oral)

3.1 Mr Cattell welcomed the Panel to DeVere Holborn Bars and explained that he hoped it would prove possible to use The Library for future Panel meetings. He encouraged Panel members to offer feedback on the suitability of the venue.

3.2 Mr Cattell welcomed Libby Wardle, who began work as Blue Plaques Administrator on 12th March.

3.3 Mr Cattell drew the Panel’s attention to developments related to plaques at a national level. Letters regarding the change of approach had been sent to all local councils and proposers of shortlisted suggestions in the East of England and the East Midlands, and had resulted in no significant criticism. Work had begun on developing an advisory role: Ms Mathews was carrying out an audit of local plaques schemes already in existence, and she and Ms Cole had met with Surrey County Council to discuss the council’s plans to implement a scheme. Mr Cattell expressed his hope that this would be the first of a number of similar meetings.

3.3 Mr Cattell reminded the Panel that meeting minutes from January 2005 would shortly be available to view on the English Heritage website. All minutes had been divided into ‘exempt’ and ‘open’, and only the latter section would be publicly accessible.

3.4 Mr Cattell reported on correspondence and publicity which had resulted from the Panel’s rejection of the proposal to erect a plaque to the Rev Michael Scott. The Panel was reminded that all decisions hold for a period of ten years. However, in this instance, the view of staff was that Scott’s case should be brought back to the Panel after only six years, in 2013, when Bishop Trevor Huddleston would become eligible. The Panel agreed this course of action.

3.5 Mr Cattell tabled a document entitled ‘Engagement with the Planning System and related matters. Notes for Commissioners, Committee and

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 2 Panel Members’, which had been produced by English Heritage’s Commission Secretariat team. He pointed out that this would also be circulated to Panel members by email.

3.6 Mr Cattell drew the Panel’s attention to articles published in the Camden New Journal, concerning the erection of plaques by the Lissenden Gardens Residents and Tenants’ Association.

3.7 This report/minute is potentially exempt from public access under the Freedom of Information Act, Section 43: Commercial Interests. Please note that other exemptions may also apply.

3.8This report/minute is potentially exempt from public access under the Freedom of Information Act, Section 43: Commercial Interests. Please note that other exemptions may also apply.

3.9Mr Cattell reported that there had been three formal unveilings since the last meeting.

The plaque to Sir Michael Costa (Conductor and Orchestra Reformer) was unveiled on 19th April at 59 Eccleston Square, Belgravia, SW1, by Maestro Antonio Pappano, musical director of the Royal Opera House. Speeches were also given by David Cannadine and Sir John Goulden (who proposed the plaque).

The plaque to Edward Ardizzone (Artist and Illustrator) was unveiled by his daughter, Christianna Clemence, on 3rd May at 130 Elgin Avenue, Maida Vale, W9. Celina Fox and Sir Christopher Frayling, Chairman of the Royal College of Art, spoke at the unveiling.

The plaque to Harold Abrahams (Olympic athlete) was unveiled on 17th May at Hodford Lodge, 2 Hodford Road, Golders Green, NW11, by Sue Pottle, Abrahams’ adopted daughter, following speeches by Tony Abrahams (Harold’s nephew), Emily Cole, and John James, Chairman of the British Olympic Foundation. Mr James expressed the hope that the plaque would become a landmark for visitors to the 2012 Olympics.

3.10 Mr Cattell reported that one plaque had been erected without an unveiling since the last meeting.

The plaque to Hertha Ayrton (Physicist) was installed on 10th May at 41 Norfolk Square, Paddington, W2. It has attracted broadcast coverage, and has been featured on Woman’s Hour.

3.11 Mr Cattell noted that no dates for formal unveilings in the coming months had yet been confirmed, but that it was hoped that plaques to the following figures would be installed before the Panel’s meeting in October:

Frank Matcham James Smithson

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 3 Gilbert Bayes Sir Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Francis Pettit Smith Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton Sri Aurobindo Ira Aldridge

Mr Cattell asked that the Panel contact the Blue Plaques Team if they would like to attend any of the above unveilings.

3.12 Prof Cannadine enquired about the status of the research on George Murray Smith. Mr Spencer confirmed that a further report would be presented at the October meeting.

Item 4 – Information Reports: London

4.1The Terms of Reference were noted by the Panel.

4.2The criteria for the erection of blue plaques were noted by the Panel.

4.3Prof Cannadine drew the Panel’s attention to the paper entitled ‘Guidance Notes for the consideration of suggestions made under the blue plaques scheme’, which had been authored by Ms Cole. Prof Cannadine invited discussion of its contents. Ms Cole emphasised that the guidance notes formalised procedures and practices which have been followed for some time, and hoped that the Panel found it useful. It was proposed that the notes be appended to all Panel meeting papers in the future. The Panel agreed this course of action in principle, but asked that item 3.6 be revisited and reworked. A revised version of the paper will be submitted to the Panel in October for final approval.

4.4 The Panel noted the list of plaques erected since the last meeting.

4.5 The Panel noted the progress of plaques approved.

Item 5 – Reconsideration of shortlist of suggestions approved by the Panel and awaiting further investigation

5.1The Panel confirmed that the following suggestions should remain on the shortlist:

Harry Beck (Applied Arts)

Constance Spry (Applied Arts; Gardening)

John Nash (Architecture and Building)

Sir Basil Spence (Architecture and Building)

Sir John Summerson (Architecture and Building)

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 4 Sir Douglas Bader (Armed Forces)

General Wladyslaw Sikorski (Armed Forces; Politics and Administration)

Sir John (Jack) Cohen (Commerce and Business)

Sir Ambrose Heal (Commerce and Business; Applied Arts)

Simon Marks, Lord Marks of Broughton (Commerce and Business)

Rowland Mason Ordish (Engineering; Architecture and Building)

Roger Fry (Fine Arts)

Stanley William Hayter (Fine Arts; Applied Arts)

Sir William Nicholson (Fine Arts) The Panel felt that Nicholson’s importance was sufficient to merit commemoration, but asked that the significance of his surviving addresses in London be carefully assessed as part of the final research.

Eliza Acton (Food and Drink)

Joseph Arthur Rank (Industry and Invention; Theatre and Film)

Charles Stewart Rolls (Industry and Invention; Aviation)

Sir Henry Royce (Industry and Invention)

Elizabeth Bowen (Literature)

Raymond Chandler (Literature)

Arthur Hugh Clough (Literature)

William Godwin (Literature)

Graham Greene (Literature)

Patrick Hamilton (Literature)

Georgette Heyer (Literature)

Baroness Emma Orczy (Literature)

Jean Rhys (Literature)

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 5 Sir Victor Horsley (Medicine)

Dame Ida Mann (Medicine)

Emanuel Miller (Medicine) It was suggested that an English Heritage historian contact Dr Deborah Thom for an opinion. Miller would remain on the shortlist unless Dr Thom had strong views otherwise.

Zepherina Smith (Medicine)

Al Bowlly (Music and Dance)

Enrico Caruso (Music and Dance; Overseas Visitors)

Phyllis Dixey (Music and Dance)

John Haywood Compton (Music and Dance; Engineering)

Herbert Howells (Music and Dance)

Leslie ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (Music and Dance)

Bob Marley (Music and Dance)

John Lennon (Music and Dance)

Felix Mendelssohn (Music and Dance; Overseas Visitors)

Lionel Tertis (Music and Dance)

Sir William Walton (Music and Dance)

Elisabeth Welch (Music and Dance; Theatre and Film)

Gracie Fields (Music Hall and Radio Comedy)

Max Miller (Music Hall and Radio Comedy)

Fred Russell (Music Hall and Radio Comedy)

Richard Titmuss (Philanthropy and Reform; Historians)

Dr Richard Price (Philosophy; Politics and Administration; Philanthropy and Reform)

Bill Brandt (Photography)

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 6 William Beveridge, Lord Beveridge (Politics and Administration; Philanthropy and Reform)

Sir Learie Constantine (Politics and Administration)

V. K. Krishna Menon (Politics and Administration)

Dadabhai Naoroji (Politics and Administration)

Sir William John Hooker (Science; Gardening)

Sir William Ramsay (Science)

Sir Malcolm Campbell and Donald Campbell (Sport)

Colin Chapman (Sport; Engineering)

Ebenezer Cobb Morley (Sport)

Eugen Sandow (Sport)

Sir Henry Segrave (Sport)

Ingrid Bergman (Theatre and Film)

Richard Burton (Theatre and Film)

Richard D’Oyly Carte (Theatre and Film; Music and Dance)

Greer Garson (Theatre and Film)

Leslie Howard (Theatre and Film)

David Niven (Theatre and Film) The Panel felt that Niven’s importance was sufficient to warrant commemoration, but asked that the significance of his surviving addresses in London be carefully assessed as part of the final research.

Michael Powell (Theatre and Film)

Emeric Pressburger (Theatre and Film)

Sir Ralph Richardson (Theatre and Film)

Ben Travers (Theatre and Film; Literature)

Edward Whymper (Travellers and Explorers; Applied Arts)

5.2 T he Panel asked for further research to be carried out on the

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 7 following suggestions:

Edmund Beckett Denison (Architecture and Building; Industry and Invention)

David Gestetner (Industry and Invention; Commerce and Business)

Lilian Lindsay (Medicine)

Florrie Forde (Music and Dance; Theatre and Film)

5.3 Following reconsideration, the Panel recommended that the following suggestions should be removed from the shortlist as not meeting the selection criteria:

John Fowler (Applied Arts; Architecture and Building) The Panel noted that there was not known to be a suitable London address at which Fowler could be commemorated.

John Sobieski Stuart and Charles Edward Stuart (Applied Arts; Politics and Administration) The Panel noted that the Stuart brothers would be more appropriately commemorated in Scotland rather than in London.

Sir Roger Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes (Armed Forces) The Panel noted that Keyes played an important role in the setting up of the Commandos, but felt that his overall contribution did not equal that of the military figures already commemorated under the scheme.

Yvonne Rudelatt (Armed Forces) The Panel noted that Rudelatt is one of a number of women secret agents, many of whom are not yet eligible or have not been proposed. It was felt that more time should be allowed to elapse in order to clarify the endurance of her reputation.

Louis Wain (Cartoonists and Illustrators; Fine Arts) The Panel noted that Wain’s artistic achievements lay within a narrow field, and felt that his place on the shortlist could not be justified in the context of the artists already honoured or approved for commemoration.

James Gairdner (Historians) The Panel noted that Gairdner was not the most prominent or important of a group of nineteenth-century archivists and historians, and that he was not the sole editor of the Letters and Papers of Henry VIII.

Anthony Powell (Literature)

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 8 The Panel felt that the significance and longevity of Powell’s achievements were not yet certain enough for the proposal to be accepted under the centenary provision, and felt that his case should automatically be reconsidered after ten years.

Isabella Skinner Clarke (Medicine) The Panel felt that due to a lack of detailed independent research into the work of Clarke, her reputation was not yet strong enough to justify commemoration.

Walter Legge (Music and Dance) The Panel asked that Legge’s case be deferred until 2015, when he can be considered alongside his wife, the renowned soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (1915-2006).

Alan Jay Lerner (Music and Dance; Overseas Visitors) The Panel felt that the strength of Lerner’s connection with London was not significant enough to merit his commemoration under the scheme.

Matt Monro (Music and Dance) The Panel noted Monro’s enduring popularity, but felt that his importance to popular music was not yet sufficiently clear to justify commemoration.

Robert Harbin (Music Hall and Radio Comedy) The Panel noted that Harbin’s standing in the field of stage magic and conjuring was of a secondary order when compared to that of David Devant, who has a plaque, and that of John Maskelyne, who was found to have no surviving London address.

Jack Warner (Music Hall and Radio Comedy; Theatre and Film) The Panel recognised the huge popularity of Warner in his day, but was not convinced of the longevity of his reputation.

Mary Prince (Overseas Visitors; Philanthropy and Reform) The Panel noted that there is no known surviving address for Prince in London and until this information is forthcoming, it would not be possible to consider her for commemoration under the scheme.

John F. Kennedy (Politics and Administration; Overseas Visitors) The Panel noted that a private plaque to Kennedy already exists at the proposed address and felt that it was not appropriate that it be replaced with an English Heritage plaque.

Michael Oakeshott (Politics and Administration; Science) The Panel felt that more time was needed to assess the impact and longevity of Oakeshott’s philosophical writings.

Shapurji Saklatvala (Politics and Administration)

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 9 The Panel noted Saklatvala’s achievements as an orator and an MP, but felt that his contribution was not sufficiently important to justify commemoration.

Sir Huw Wheldon (Radio and Television) The Panel felt that it was too soon to judge Wheldon’s lasting impact and influence in the relatively new field of TV broadcasting.

Gideon Mantell (Science) The Panel noted that the most productive years of Mantell’s working life were spent outside London, and that he is already commemorated in several locations in Sussex.

Ronald Colman (Theatre and Film) The Panel noted that the majority of Colman’s working life was spent in America.

Claude Rains (Theatre and Film) The Panel noted that the majority of Rains’s working life was spent in America.

Basil Rathbone (Theatre and Film) The Panel noted that the majority of Rathbone’s working life was spent in America, and that he is not known to have lived in London for any length of time.

John Rae (Travellers and Explorers) Post-meeting note: As no clear reasons were recorded for Rae’s rejection, his case will be re-presented to the Panel at its meeting in October 2007.

Item 6 – Supplementary reports

Suggestions for which the Panel had asked for further research to be carried out:

6.1 Sir Mancherjee Merwanjee Bhownaggree The Panel noted the further research that had been carried out into the work and reputation of Sir Mancherjee Merwanjee Bhownaggree, and endorsed the recommendation that he be rejected.

6.2 Wallis Simpson The Panel endorsed the recommendation that Wallis Simpson be rejected. It was noted that she had been nominated under the centenary rule, and the Panel agreed that more time should be allowed to elapse in order that an objective and informed assessment of her reputation could be made.

Suggestions for which, on further investigation, there does not appear to be a building suitable for commemoration:

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 10 6.3 Christine Granville (Armed Forces) The Panel noted that there was no suitable building on which Granville could be commemorated. Her name should be removed from the shortlist and the proposer informed.

Item 7 - New suggestions for blue plaques

7.1 The following new suggestions were endorsed for a full historical report to be made to the Panel:

A. J. P. Taylor (Historians; Radio and Television)

64 Baker Street, Former Headquarters of the Special Operations Executive (Historical Sites; Armed Forces)

Marie Stopes (Medicine; Philanthropy and Reform)

Sir George Biddell Airy (Science)

Sir Laurence Olivier (Theatre and Film)

7.2 The Panel asked for further research to be carried out on the following suggestion:

John Bowlby (Medicine)

7.3 The Panel felt that the following new suggestions did not meet the selection criteria for the scheme and recommended that they should not be shortlisted:

Harper Twelvetrees (Commerce and Business; Philanthropy and Reform)

Sir Alfred Edward East (Fine Arts)

J. R. Ackerley (Literature; Television and Radio)

Toru Dutt (Literature; Overseas Visitors)

Margaret Oliphant (Literature)

Daphne du Maurier (Literature) The Panel considered that the blue plaque to Daphne’s father, Gerald du Maurier, was sufficient commemoration of Cannon Hall, Hampstead. It was also noted that du Maurier’s most significant contributions to her field were accomplished in Cornwall, and that a plaque in London would not therefore be of appropriate resonance.

Nathan M. Milstein (Music and Dance)

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 11 Bernard Sunley (Philanthropy and Reform)

Auberon Herbert (Politics and Administration; Armed Forces)

22 Hans Place, Headquarters of the Irish Signatories to the Anglo- Irish Treaty (Politics and Administration; Historical Sites) As the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty had not actually occurred at 22 Hans Place, and as one signatory stayed elsewhere, the significance of the building was felt not to be sufficient to warrant commemoration.

Dame Flora Robson (Theatre and Film)

7.4 The Panel agreed to defer consideration of the proposal of Bronislaw Malinowski until its meeting in October.

Item 8 – Final Reports

8.1 BLUE PLAQUE: DAME CELIA JOHNSON (1908-1982)

The Panel agreed the proposal that, subject to the necessary consents being obtained, a blue plaque be erected.

This report/minute is potentially exempt from public access under the Freedom of Information Act, Section 43: Commercial Interests. Please note that other exemptions may also apply.

8.2 BLUE PLAQUE: SIR GEORGE ROBEY (1869-1954)

The Panel agreed the proposal that, subject to the necessary consents being obtained, a blue plaque be erected.

This report/minute is potentially exempt from public access under the Freedom of Information Act, Section 43: Commercial Interests. Please note that other exemptions may also apply.

Item 9 – Any Other Business

9.1 Next Meeting The next meeting will be held at 11.00am on Wednesday 10th October 2007 in The Library, DeVere Holborn Bars, Waterhouse Square. Meeting dates for 2008 have yet to be confirmed.

Libby Wardle Blue Plaques Administrator 14th June 2007

Minutes of Blue Plaques Panel Meeting – 13th June 2007 Page 12