London’s Blue Plaques
London’s famous blue plaques link the people of the past with the buildings of the present. Now run by English Heritage, the London blue plaques scheme was started in 1866 and is thought to be the oldest of its kind in the world.
Across the capital over 950 plaques, on buildings humble and grand, honour the notable men and women who have lived or worked in them. Discover some of the people commemorated with blue plaques, or search for a plaque, below.
The English Heritage London blue plaques scheme is generously supported by David Pearl, Knight Frank and members of the public.
Celebrating London’s Black History
From musicians to politicians, discover some of the pioneering black figures whose achievements are celebrated with London’s blue plaques.
Find out more about London’s Black HistoryKeeping in touch
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted our need to keep in touch, both with one another and with what’s happening in the outside world. The people below have all advanced communication in some way – from computing pioneer Ada Lovelace and founder of The Times, John Walter, to war correspondent Martha Gellhorn and TV and radio broadcaster Richard Dimbleby.
NEW BLUE PLAQUE TO GERALD DURRELL
English Heritage has unveiled a new blue plaque to the naturalist, zoologist and writer Gerald Durrell. He is commemorated at 43 Alleyn Park in Dulwich, where he spent part of his childhood in the late 1920s.
Durrell had an immense influence on public attitudes to animals in captivity and to the importance of zoos in the conservation of animals in the wild. He is best known for his book My Family and Other Animals (1956), which vividly describes his family’s life on Corfu when he was a boy.
English Heritage has unveiled four other plaques so far in 2020, to Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, Noor Inayat Khan, Sir Robert Hunter, Christine Granville and Juan Pujol Garcia.
Plaques for women
Today only 14 per cent of London’s blue plaques celebrate women. We don't think that’s good enough. Since 2016 when we first launched our ‘plaques for women’ campaign, more than half of the people awarded plaques have been women, but only a third of the public nominations were for women. Nominations are the life blood of the London blue plaques scheme and if we are to see a significant increase in the number of blue plaques for women, we will need more female suggestions.
If you know of a woman who deserves a blue plaque and meets the selection criteria, nominate her now and help us address the gender imbalance in London's blue plaques.
Propose a woman for a blue plaqueBlue Plaque Stories
Behind every plaque is a story. From the creative output of international composers to the campaigns for women’s rights, discover the personal journeys and historic achievements of London’s notable former residents with our series of in depth articles.
Discover the stories behind the plaquesHistory’s Heroes of Health
Advances in the control, treatment and cure of illness and disease have depended on the work of many talented individuals, working in a variety of different fields.
The London blue plaques scheme celebrates many figures of outstanding achievement in this crucially important area. We explore some of their most significant medical breakthroughs and public health reforms.
Read the article
Blue Plaques App
The official blue plaques app is now available to download for free for iPhone and Android. Use the app to follow guided walks around Soho and Kensington, or explore all of the 900 plaques by finding ones nearby and searching for your favourite figures from history.
From Sylvia Pankhurst’s former home in Chelsea to Jimi Hendrix’s flat in Mayfair, let English Heritage’s blue plaques guide you through the streets of London.
Download the free app now from the Apple App Store for iPhone or the Google Play Store for Android.
