Blue Plaque dedicated to Daphne Steele, the NHS's first black matron, is unveiled in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
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Historic England’s national blue plaque scheme has opened for public nominations. The scheme ‘celebrates people from all walks of life who have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness’.
The national initiative was announced in September 2023 and is run by Historic England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It builds on the London plaque scheme, which began in 1866 and is run by English Heritage, as well as several local schemes around the country.
What are blue plaques?
Blue plaques are permanent signs installed in public places to commemorate a person or event. They serve as a historical marker and often are placed to mark a birthplace or long-standing residence.
English Heritage Blue Plaque for Ronnie Ronalde at 126 Downham Road, Islington, London. Source: PA
The plaques can be made in a variety of shapes, materials or colours, but the famous ones are blue and circular.
How can you be eligible for one?
To be eligible for a nomination, there are three key criteria to fulfil. People must:
Have died at least 20 years ago
Have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness and/or have made an exceptional impact in their field, community or on society
Have at least one building associated with them that survives from the time of their occupancy and where a plaque would be visible from a public highway
Nominations can be made until 19 July 2024.
Does the nominee have to be famous?
No, the nominee does not have to be famous. They just have to have made a strong contribution to human society and happiness.
To encourage a wide range of nominations, Historic England is offering Community Research Grants. Organisations, historians or researchers can apply for up to £7,000 per project to discover more about people who contributed to society but whose stories may have been lost.
Historic England hopes that through funding this work there will be an increase in the diversity of people nominated for blue plaques.
Who has a blue plaque?
There are over 1000 blue plaques in London alone. Under this new national scheme, three plaques have been unveiled. The first two were to nurse and midwife Daphne Steele in Ilkley and the pottery designer Clarice Cliff in Stoke-on-Trent.
The third is dedicated to George Harrison of the Beatles which commemorates his birthplace in Liverpool. It was unveiled today, Friday 24 May.
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HeadlineHistoric England have opened nominations for the Blue Plaque scheme
Short HeadlineBlue plaque nominations open
StandfirstPeople are now able to submit nominations for commemorative blue plaques.
Historic England’s national blue plaque scheme has opened for public nominations. The scheme ‘celebrates people from all walks of life who have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness’.
The national initiative was announced in September 2023 and is run by Historic England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It builds on the London plaque scheme, which began in 1866 and is run by English Heritage, as well as several local schemes around the country.
What are blue plaques?
Blue plaques are permanent signs installed in public places to commemorate a person or event. They serve as a historical marker and often are placed to mark a birthplace or long-standing residence.
English Heritage Blue Plaque for Ronnie Ronalde at 126 Downham Road, Islington, London. Source: PA
The plaques can be made in a variety of shapes, materials or colours, but the famous ones are blue and circular.
How can you be eligible for one?
To be eligible for a nomination, there are three key criteria to fulfil. People must:
Have died at least 20 years ago
Have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness and/or have made an exceptional impact in their field, community or on society
Have at least one building associated with them that survives from the time of their occupancy and where a plaque would be visible from a public highway
Nominations can be made until 19 July 2024.
Does the nominee have to be famous?
No, the nominee does not have to be famous. They just have to have made a strong contribution to human society and happiness.
To encourage a wide range of nominations, Historic England is offering Community Research Grants. Organisations, historians or researchers can apply for up to £7,000 per project to discover more about people who contributed to society but whose stories may have been lost.
Historic England hopes that through funding this work there will be an increase in the diversity of people nominated for blue plaques.
Who has a blue plaque?
There are over 1000 blue plaques in London alone. Under this new national scheme, three plaques have been unveiled. The first two were to nurse and midwife Daphne Steele in Ilkley and the pottery designer Clarice Cliff in Stoke-on-Trent.
The third is dedicated to George Harrison of the Beatles which commemorates his birthplace in Liverpool. It was unveiled today, Friday 24 May.
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