Despite all the media fuss about the death of the Blue Plaque a couple of years ago, they are still going strong, and nominations has opened for more of them to be installed on buildings.
The opening of nominations for more Blue Plaques is due to a donation from a singe individual, while English Heritage has also launched the Blue Plaques Club, a donors group, to secure the scheme’s long-term future.
There are currently 880 official plaques in London, with scores more of not-quite-official plaques installed by a host of local heritage groups and the like scattered around the place.
Almost all the proposals for Blue Plaques are made by members of the public. English Heritage’s in-house historian then researches the proposal, and a committee makes the final decision.
In order to be approved for a plaque, nominated figures must be judged by the Blue Plaques Panel to have met a set of criteria. These include:
- they should be regarded as eminent within their own profession or calling
- their achievements should have made an exceptional impact in terms of public recognition or their achievements deserve national recognition
- they should have been dead for twenty years
- they should have lived in London for a significant period, in time or importance, within their life and work
- the London building in which they lived or worked should still survive and must not have a significantly altered exterior
To make a nomination, visit the Blue Plaques pages on the EH website, read the selection criteria, and then complete the nomination form.
