New plaques announced for 2016

To mark the 150 anniversary of the blue plaques scheme, comedian Tommy Cooper, food writer Elizabeth David and football icon Bobby Moore are among those whose achievements will be celebrated with new plaques.

Moore's plaque will be the first Blue Plaque in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, marking the house where he lived when he first played for England in 1962.

Other new plaques in 2016 will include Freddie Mercury, the Irish Nobel Prize-winning playwright and author Samuel Beckett, ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn and the movie star Ava Gardner.

Physicist and military advisor Patrick Blackett; Sir Benjamin Baker, designer of the Forth Bridge; caterer Sir Joseph Lyons, Thomas John Barnardo, the founder of Dr Barnardo's Homes; and Sir John Gielgud, the actor and director are also being commemorated. The plaque to writer Edward Lear will be re-erected at a new address.

Professor Ronald Hutton, Chair of the English Heritage Blue Plaques Panel, said:

"Since 1866, these modest but distinctive blue roundels have reminded us of the people and places that made history.

"This year we will celebrate stars of the silver screen and stage, a much loved comedian, sporting legends, and one of the greatest writers of modern times. It's a roll-call that underlines the wide range of talent who over the centuries have made London their home."

Blue plaques walking tours planned for May

To mark the 150th anniversary of the scheme, we have arranged a weekend of special walking tours on 7-8 May.

Participants can walk from Charing Cross to Covent Garden to see the oldest surviving plaque and hear about some of the historical personalities of Piccadilly. Another tour will explore plaques to the most illustrious inhabitants of Belgravia, including Mary Shelley, Ian Fleming and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

We will also launch our new blue plaques app to help people to discover nearby blue plaques and plan their own blue plaques tour.

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