aboutwales Civic society network / Case study

Blue plaques & plaque trails: Usk Civic Society

Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire. It sits on the River Usk and developed as a small market town, with some industry including Japanware and a prison. In 2011 the resident population was approx. 2,800.

Over the years Usk Civic Society have been responsible for a wide range of outdoor artefacts, from benches, fingerposts, town maps placed in poster cases, a memorial for Lord Raglan, pavement plaques to denote the edges of the first and second Roman forts and a large number of blue plaques.

Usk currently has 31 plaques placed around the town. The first 2 were mounted in the approach the Society didn’t late 1970s, and 28 others from The process Usk followed to mainly greeted with enthusiasm. have a rule that an event should 2003 onwards. A further plaque designate/mount plaques have occurred or that people was commissioned for AR 5 How are plaques made and should have been dead for a Wallace with a portrait and 1 How was it decided who how much does it cost to have certain number of years before dedication1. This is sited near should have a plaque? a plaque made and placed on a a plaque was designated. his birthplace beside the River A list of possibilities was drawn building? up the society’s (then) secretary Ned Heywood, a potter from Usk. The Society has no ongoing John Barrow and put to the 3 How was the location of a Chepstow, made 28 of the plans for more plaques but committee. plaque decided upon? plaques. He made several would be happy to look at any The decision was made in prototypes until he was satisfied suggestions. 2 What topics do the plaques consultation with the site owner, with the results. He can be commemorate? Monmouthshire Council’s contacted through his website The society considered With the exception of 3 plaques Conservation officer and http://www.blue-plaques.org. the installation of plaques for Trelawney, AR Wallace and Highways Officer, as appropriate. uk .Usk Civic Society awarded fulfilled their aim of education, St David Lewis (see pictures Ned Heywood the commission, sustainability and the above right, bottom image) 4 How were the building having previously obtained promotion of civic pride. the plaques all mark historic owners contacted? estimates from two established 1 AR Wallace was a naturalist, buildings and sites in and The Society, particularly two suppliers, on the basis of a keen biogeographer, author and co- around Usk. people John Barrow and Stella price, his willingness to install discovered with Collard, spent a lot of time and the plaques and his proven the process of evolution by natural selection. In contrast to English Heritage’s effort, and tact. Requests were craftsmenship in projects at 1 Chepstow and Monmouth. The round slots at the rear which fact that he was locally based rest on screws inserted in the was also helpful. wall. This is to ensure that the text is horizontal and to take The AR Wallace plaque was some of the weight. The plaques made by Mossfords of Cardiff were then secured with quick and Cwmbran http://www. drying cement. This was done mossfords.co.uk/. by the blue plaque maker, Ned Heywood, and some of the Civic The total cost for the 28 plaques Society Committee. He also was £10,860. devised an ingenious method of fixing a plaque to the metal 6 How was the cost of the railings of the Owain Glyndwr plaques afforded? field. The project was supported by an 80% grant from the Two of the plaques, Pwll Welsh Assembly Government Melyn and St David Lewis, are and administered by the mounted on ‘erratic’ boulders Welsh Development Agency purchased from a farmer at under Article 33 of the Rural Bettws Newydd for £50 and put Development Plan for Wales. in place with help from John which had money specifically Bruce (Craft Renaissance). AR for Monmouthshire The Wallace’s boulder was donated Society’s own funds contributed by Hansons. Pavement plaques to 20% of the total cost, helped were installed with the help of a in the first year by support from builder friend. the former Vale of Usk Tourist Assocation which was being 9 How was the design of the wound up as the group started plaques decided? with the plaques. Most of the plaques are blue, round or oval and ceramic. Funding was also applied Stone pavement plaques have Above: Article from Society newsletter. Below: extract from the for successfully from been made with blue writing on Plaque trail Monmouthshire County neutral ground. The plaques are Council’s ‘Community Pride in Welsh and English. Grant’. The funding went towards 5 oak finger posts to 10 How has the mounting of a show the way to Pwll Melyn, new plaque been launched? the AR Wallace plaque and the At the unveiling of the first of plaque marking the site of St the 28 plaques those attending David Lewis’s execution, as well included the Assembly as the plaque leaflet. Member, Mayor of Usk, County Councillor, Project Co-ordinator, For suggestions and examples Welsh Development Agency of alternative sources of funding representative, Ned Heywood please see the grey box below. the plaque designer and craftsman, the CIvic Society 7 Is planning/conservation/ Executive Member and several listed building consent interested members of the required for putting up a public. The rest of the 28 plaque? plaques were launched in two In some cases yes, contact phases by our President, the your local authority’s late Lord Raglan. The local press planning department and/or gave publicity for both launches. conservation officer for more information. When the AR Wallace plaque was launched, there was local In the case of the AR Wallace and national coverage and memorial, planning permission the unveiling was done by AR was required for the memorial Wallace’s grandson. The event stone and plaque. was also marked by a lecture and buffet lunch with guests 8 How is a plaque actually fixed and speakers from the Natural to the wall? History Museum and various Ceramic wall plaques have two universities and societies.

2 11 Plaque maintenance Society member, Stella Collard regularly checks the health of the plaques around Usk. After the hard winter of 2012, the Pwll Melyn plaque fell off its stone - luckily it was undamaged. After consulting plaque maker, Ned Heyworth, it was reattached with quick drying cement. In future the Society hopes to recruit members to Llanelli Community Heritage be responsible for particular plaques, thus sharing the Launched on St David’s Day workload. 2004, the society’s main aim is to consolidate the work of local 12 The Usk Plaque Trail historians in preserving historic Once all of the plaques were in buildings and structures and to place a leaflet was produced promote the community’s rich on the plaques to be enclosed heritage. in the previous Usk Town Trail booklet (produced by the Since its inception the Society Society) that existed at that has succeeded in creating time. The plaque leaflet is now many Interpretive Panels and free, and there is now a new Blue Plaques to commemorate colour edition of the Town Trail famous buildings and which can be purchased (£5 celebrities. This work is by no non-members and £3.50 society means complete and Llanelli members). will have more panels and blue plaques in the future. A list and 12 The fingerposts map of the current blue plaques Five fingerposts were placed in can be found on their website and around Usk at the end of The Civic Initatives (Heritage) environment. (http://llanellich.org.uk/Maps/ the project. The Society realised Grants Scheme blue-plaques-map.html). that for people to locate some Cadw has previously made of the plaques directions were Cadw runs a grant scheme to grants for plaques that: On the above image of the needed. The Society successfully help voluntary organisations • assist with the plaque for applied for a Community Pride to promote a better presentation of a historic the bottom line of text reveals Grant, through Monmouthshire understanding of their local structure who sponsored the funding County Council, which paid for heritage. The maximum grant - • improve public of the plaque. All of Llanelli four posts and the Society’s which has to be matched by the appreciation of the built Community Heritage’s plaques funds paid for one post. The voluntary organisation from a heritage or have been sponsored whether installation was done voluntarily non-governmental source - is • provide visitor information. by an individual or a local by members. The posts were £5,000. The scheme is aimed business. Emmeline Pankhurst’s made locally from Wentwood at small-scale projects which Applications are only was sponsored by Catherine oak, with routed lettering help to preserve, enhance received between January Thomas, former AM for Llanelli coloured dark green. They were or improve the historic and April every year. There is for whom Emmeline Pankhurst designed, like the plaques, environment of Wales and a 6 week decision time. It is had always been a hero. Other to be long lasting and low increase social awareness of recommended that you contact sponsors include: Llanelli Rural maintenance. Welsh heritage. It is of particular Cadw (Ann Thomas on 01443 Council, Huw Edwards (BBC relevance to civic societies or 336061) prior to making an newsreader), Communities First, 13 The Town Council other local, voluntary groups. application to double check Charles Church Wales, as well as Usk Town Council supported the these deadlines. NB Cadw a range of local individuals. project, but not financially. Cadw can make grants to may have a requirements for voluntary organisations for the inclusion of their name on Other civic societies 14 Further reading plaques to commemorate plaques if using this funding designating blue plaques English Heritage have published historic places or people. There source (you will need to check include Monmouth, Ruthin, a very useful book, which can be is no dedicated blue plaque this). For more information, and Chepstow, Tenby, Aberystwyth, downloaded from their website scheme, such as in , but the application form, see the Wrexham, Rhiwbina, Kidwelly, ‘Celebrating people and place. as part of its Civic Initiatives Cadw website: Haverfordwest, Machynlleth. Guidance on Commemorative (Heritage) Grants scheme Cadw http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/ Plaques & Plaque Scheme’ supports local organisations historicenvironment/help- With thanks to Stella Collard of http://www.english-heritage. undertaking projects that advice-and-grants/grants/ Usk Civic Society for sharing the org.uk/publications/celebrating- enhance understanding and civicinitiativesgrant/?lang=en experiences and work of Usk Civic people-and-place/ appreciation of the historic Society. 3