London’s famous blue plaques are a form of historical marker that commemorate notable individuals and events associated with specific buildings or locations in the city. With almost one thousand of these memorial plaques erected throughout the city according to English Heritage, we were curious as to the distribution of the plaques within the city and different boroughs of the capital. Keep reading to find out which borough claimed the top spot!
Wandsworth has the most plaques outside Central London
Analysis of the data revealed Wandsworth as the borough outside of Central London with the most official blue plaques at 30, Central London boasted the most unsurprisingly with just over three-quarters of the blue plaques within the city being located centrally.
The City of Westminster emerged as the ‘winner’ with 320 blue plaques in total followed by Kensington and Chelsea and Camden.
In terms of the boroughs with the least blue plaques, City of London, Barking and Dagenham and Sutton each have only 1 plaque, whilst Havering and Hillingdon both have none. The trend shows a lot of blue plaques concentrated centrally with a lot of areas towards outer London having few or in some cases no recognition of their historical figures; which begs the question, should more be done to find and uncover noteworthy figures of the past in these areas?
Should more blue plaques be located in Havering and Hillingdon?
Discussions have been made in the past as to the lack of female figures recognised with blue plaques, but perhaps more effort should also be made to recognise historical figures in some of London’s less heavily visited areas with official blue plaques?
Stuart Olof Agrell, recognised for his involvement in the Apollo program was born in Ruislip Hillingdon could be a suitable addition whilst Edna Clarke Hall (one of Upminster’s finest artists) would for many be a sensible first blue plaque for Havering.
How can blue plaques be submitted?
Blue plaques are growing by the year but the ones managed by English Heritage must fill certain criteria:
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Only one plaque is erected per person
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At least 20 years must have passed since a candidate’s death.
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At least one building associated with the figure must survive within Greater London (but outside the City of London, which has its own scheme).
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Buildings with many personal associations, such as churches, schools and theatres, are not normally considered for plaques.
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No more than two plaques are allowed on one building.
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Nominations to commemorate buildings that have historical significance for an event, or a group of individuals, will be considered as resources allow.
Brunel Engraving now offers blue plaques!
Whilst the official English Heritage Blue Plaques in London can only be attained through a fairly intense process, we are excited to announce that Brunel Engraving are now able to take orders for blue plaques online for those looking to commemorate their own local historical figures and locations. Get in touch with us via email to find out more [email protected]
Read the full results below:
|
Area of London |
Number of Blue Plaques |
|
Central |
750 |
|
East |
72 |
|
West |
73 |
|
South |
64 |
|
North |
33 |
|
Total |
992 |
|
Borough |
Number of Plaques |
Borough |
Number of Plaques |
|
1) Westminster |
320 |
18) Hackney |
9 |
|
2) Kensington and Chelsea |
188 |
19) Bromley |
7 |
|
3) Camden |
176 |
20) Ealing |
7 |
|
4) Wandsworth |
30 |
21) Kingston upon Thames |
5 |
|
5) Lambeth |
27 |
22) Waltham Forest |
4 |
|
6) Richmond upon Thames |
26 |
23) Enfield |
4 |
|
7) Hammersmith and Fulham |
24 |
24) Harrow |
4 |
|
8) Tower Hamlets |
22 |
25) Redbridge |
3 |
|
9) Southwark |
20 |
26) Newham |
2 |
|
10) Barnet |
19 |
27) Bexley |
2 |
|
11) Islington |
18 |
28) Brent |
2 |
|
12) Greenwich |
16 |
29) Sutton |
1 |
|
13) Lewisham |
13 |
30) City of London |
1 |
|
14) Croydon |
11 |
31) Barking and Dagenham |
1 |
|
15) Haringey |
10 |
32) Havering |
0 |
|
16) Hounslow |
10 |
33) Hillingdon |
0 |
|
17) Merton |
10 |
*Data taken from the English Heritage site is correct as of 24th May 2023.