English Heritage Celebrates 800th Blue Plaque

Andor Gomme with the Blue Plaque for his grandfather Sir Laurence Gomme Sir Laurence Gomme (1853-1916), an early pioneer of the Blue Plaques Scheme, was honoured with the 800th Blue Plaque at a special ceremony at 24 Dorset Square, London, NW1, where Gomme lived from 1895 to 1909.

Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of English Heritage, said: "It is particularly fitting that we are honouring Sir Laurence Gomme with the 800th Blue Plaque as he contributed so much to the Blue Plaques Scheme. Gomme was passionate about the rich history of London and felt that every street and every stone was a witness to the past and an inspiration for the future.
Today, we are celebrating both the achievements of one man and the huge success of the Blue Plaques Scheme which has proved so popular that it has been copied in cities across the country and across the world."

During his 25 year career with London County Council (LCC), Gomme was closely involved with plaques and it was largely through his instigation that the LCC took over the scheme from the (Royal) Society of Arts in 1901.  Gomme worked to give plaques a popular appeal, and championed their role as a link between historic buildings and people.  During the 64 years that the LCC ran the scheme, around 220 plaques were erected. On the abolition of the LCC in 1965, the plaques scheme passed to the Greater London Council and then to English Heritage in 1986.

During his work for London County Council, Gomme's enthusiasm for London’s history led to a new reverence for things of the past and for the preservation of its historic buildings.  Gomme’s many achievements included helping the Council to protect threatened buildings and he was also responsible for founding the London Museum in 1911 (which merged with the Guildhall Museum in 1975 to create The Museum of London).

Number 24 Dorset Square is particularly significant as Gomme’s 14 year residence between 1895 and 1909 coincided with the prime years of his career and it was while living here that he was appointed Clerk to London County Council (1900).  Gomme was an able and hard working official and oversaw a significant increase in the Council’s responsibilities in such fields as housing, transport and education.  It was while living at Dorset Square that Gomme was involved with the formation of the Survey of London (now part of English Heritage’s Research Department), founded and jointly edited the "Victoria County History" series with Herbert Arthur Doubleday (1867-1941) and oversaw the transferral of the plaques scheme to the London County Council.

The description of Gomme’s recreations in “Who’s Who” as “change of work” was an understatement, he was fascinated by the history of London and was a pioneer in folklore studies.  He wrote many books including "Folklore as an Historical Science" (1908), "Making of London" (1911) and "London" (1914).

In 1911, Gomme was knighted in recognition of his work. On his death in 1916, the Observer noted that "the death of Sir Laurence Gomme robs London of one of its most notable citizens, and one of its most loyal servants." The Times wrote that "few men have had a more profound knowledge of the past and the present greatness of London, and few have done more to make London known to its people than Sir Laurence Gomme."