Blue Plaques

Maghull and Lydiate U3A Local History Group LOCAL BLUE PLAQUES London's blue plaques scheme, founded in 1866, is believed to be the oldest of its kind in the world and has inspired many other schemes across London, the UK and even further afield. Run successively by the (Royal) Society of Arts, the London County Council, the Greater London Council, and since 1986, English Heritage, it commemorates the link between notable figures of the past and the buildings in which they lived and worked. It is a uniquely successful means of connecting people and place. The scheme is currently closed to new proposals due to restructuring but will re-open for submissions in June 2014. In the meantime, plaques already on the English Heritage shortlist will continue to be erected. BLUE PLAQUES HISTORY OF THE SCHEME The idea of erecting ‘memorial tablets’ , as they were then known, was first proposed in 1863 by William Ewart MP, in the House of Commons. Only a week later, Henry Cole expressed his support for the initiative, and recommended that a scheme be set up by the Society of Arts (awarded royal patronage in 1908). The Scheme under the (Royal) Society of Arts Ewart’s idea had an immediate impact upon the popular imagination and in 1866 the (Royal) Society of Arts founded what would become the blue plaques scheme we know today. The first names considered included those of Benjamin Franklin, David Garrick and Lord Nelson. The Society erected its first plaque in 1867: it commemorated the poet Lord Byron at his birthplace, 24 Holles Street, Cavendish Square, a house demolished in 1889. The earliest blue plaque to survive, also erected in 1867, commemorates Napoleon III in King Street, St James's. From the outset, the aim of the scheme was to celebrate the link between person and building, and to make ‘our houses their own biographers’ (in the words of a correspondent to 'The Times', 1873). It was also hoped that the plaque scheme would play a role in encouraging the preservation of houses of historical interest, many of which were then threatened with demolition (including the home of Sir Joshua Reynolds in Leicester Square). The scheme has therefore played an important part in the history of the conservation movement - pre-dating initiatives such as the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (founded in 1877) and the National Trust (founded in 1895) - and has been responsible for raising awareness about a number of London’s buildings and, in some cases, saving them from demolition. In 1879, the Society of Arts came to an agreement with the Corporation of the City of London that the latter would erect plaques in the square mile. This demarcation - related to the jurisdictional independence of the City - has remained in place ever since: with the exception of the plaque to Dr Johnson in Gough Square, none of the plaques now in the care of English Heritage are to be found within the City. The Scheme under the LCC and the GLC In 1901, the scheme passed from the (Royal) Society of Arts to the London County Council (LCC), and became known as the 'Indication of Houses of Historical Interest in London', a name it retained until around the time of the Second World War. It was under the LCC that the selection criteria were formalised, and the blue plaque design as we know it today was created. The selection criteria agreed in 1954 put an end to the practice of erecting plaques on sites, which for a comparatively short time had been allowed by the LCC but which undermined the fundamental principles of the scheme. When the scheme was taken over, various forms of plaques were considered. In the end, however, the Society of Arts' roundel was adopted, with two notable changes: the introduction of a laurel wreath border and the LCC's title. The LCC erected its first plaque in 1903 to the historian Thomas Babington, Lord Macaulay, and set up an average of eight plaques per year in the period up to the outbreak of the First World War. Despite the suspension of the scheme in 1915-19 and 1940-47 due to war-time economies, plaques continued to be erected at a regular pace. By 1965, when the LCC was abolished, the organisation had erected nearly 250 plaques. On the abolition of the LCC the plaques scheme passed to the Greater London Council (GLC). The aims and working of the scheme remained broadly the same, but the GLC was keen to broaden the range of people commemorated. The 262 plaques erected by the GLC include those to figures such as Sylvia Pankhurst, campaigner for women’s rights; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, composer of the 'Song of Hiawatha'; and Mary Seacole, the Jamaican nurse and heroine of the Crimean War. Geographically, the GLC covered a wider area than its predecessor, which had been focused solely on central London boroughs and took on what was, for the plaques scheme, uncharted territory - for instance, Richmond, Croydon and Redbridge. English Heritage Plaques: 1986 - present Since 1986, English Heritage has managed the blue plaques scheme, and bases its selection criteria and processes on those operated by the LCC and the GLC. The first plaque erected by English Heritage commemorated the painter Oskar Kokoschka in August 1986, at Eyre Court, Finchley Road, St John’s Wood. Since then English Heritage has erected over 360 plaques bringing the total number to in excess of 880. It has also established the Blue Plaques Panel, which advises the Commission and staff on the selection of individuals for commemoration and is composed so as to bring a variety of expertise to the consideration of cases. English Heritage has continued the work of the GLC in broadening the coverage of the scheme, both geographically - there are now plaques in all but three of London's boroughs - and in terms of the figures commemorated. English Heritage plaques honour individuals from a wide range of endeavour, such as the guitarist and songwriter Jimi Hendrix, Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, and the actress Vivien Leigh, as well as people such as the poet, Lord Tennyson, the pilot Guy Gibson, and the nurse Edith Cavell. ADVICE AND GUIDANCE FOR OTHER PLAQUE SCHEMES The provision of advice and guidance to individuals, groups and organisations hoping to put up commemorative plaques has been central to the role of English Heritage’s Blue Plaques Team. Drawing upon many years of experience, the team has provided information regarding subjects such as funding, selection criteria, historical research, gaining consents, plaque design, manufacture, installation and unveilings. In spring 2010, this knowledge was condensed into a comprehensive advice and guidance document, 'Celebrating People & Place', covering all aspects of work on commemorative plaques. It is available both online and in hard copy. In summer 2012, a register of plaque schemes across England was compiled to assist anyone looking to erect a plaque or start a scheme locally. The listing will help you see at a glance what plaque activity there is in your area. Plaque to Isaac Johnson erected by the Woodbridge Society at 7 Market Hill, Woodbridge, Suffolk NATIONWIDE PLAQUES AND SCHEMES Aside from a pilot scheme operated in 1998-2005, English Heritage does not erect plaques outside Greater London. However, there are many locally administered, long-established and thriving commemorative plaque schemes in operation throughout England, many of which are listed on our register of plaque schemes. In 2010 English Heritage hosted a conference entitled ‘Commemorative Plaques: Celebrating People and Place’, which was the first event of its kind. It was attended by over a hundred delegates representing diverse interests and schemes from around the UK and abroad. Erected in 2008 under the initiative of Coventry City Council, this plaque to John Thornton, the master glass painter, is based on his masterpiece – the east window of York Minster. It marks the site of Thornton’s house and workshop in the Burges, Coventry.(© George Demidowicz) Guidance Published Although English Heritage offered advice and information to locally administered plaque schemes for many years, the conference represented the formalisation of this role, and fed into a guidance document published in hard copy and online in spring 2010. This is aimed at anyone with an interest in putting up commemorative plaques. Further Information If you would like to make contact with a plaque scheme within your area, please see what schemes are active locally to you on our plaques register. English Heritage Blue English Heritage Blue Plaques in Liverpool & Merseyside, Southampton, Birmingham and Portsmouth. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/content/imported-docs/k-o/national-scheme-list-blue- plaques.pdf Maghull Blue Plaques FRANK HORNBY 1863-1936 The Hollies, 32 Station Road, Maghull L31 3DB Toy manufacturer lived here Liverpool, The creator of Meccano, Hornby model railways and Dinky toys died on September Figure 1 The Hollies, Station Road 21st, 1936, aged 73 and a millionaire. The genius who created Meccano, Hornby model railways and Dinky toys and died a millionaire at the age of 73 was born in Liverpool in 1863. Frank Hornby’s father worked in the wholesale provision trade, the family straddled the divide between upper working class and lower middle class and Frank spoke with a Scouse accent all his life. He disliked school, often played truant and left at 16. Years later he recalled that he had read Self-Help by Samuel Smiles over and over again and it inspired him, but for the moment he made little progress and after various clerking jobs he became a bookkeeper at a Liverpool meat importing firm run by a man named David Elliott.

Load more