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 900 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.
NEW BLUE PLAQUE TO JOHN LINNELL AND CAMILLE SILVY
English Heritage has unveiled a blue plaque to the artist John Linnell and photographer Camille Silvy at 38 Porchester Terrace in Bayswater. Famous for his landscape paintings, Linnell built number 38 for him and his family in 1830, and later leased it out to Silvy in 1859. Silvy was one of the most fashionable portrait photographers of his day and used number 38 as a studio as well as his family home.
We have also unveiled plaques to Sir Arthur Pearson, Sir Edward Frankland and Derek Jarman this year. In 2018 we unveiled plaques to: Sir William Beveridge, Margaret Lockwood, Agnes Arber, Flanders and Swann, The Cooper Car Company, Harry Mallin, the Bauhaus Designers, Peter Cushing, Henry and CRW Nevinson, PL Travers, Sir Hugh Carleton Greene and John Thelwall.
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 plaquesArtists of London
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.
