Until recently the Coventry Society was the only organisation in the city interested in blue plaques, but there will shortly be three blue plaque schemes in the city!
Last year the Council launched its own scheme and will shortly be erecting its first two plaques under that scheme.
Last September Historic England announced that it will be launching a national scheme, building on the work that English Heritage has been doing in London and it has now published more information about the scheme.
Historic England is running the new national blue plaque scheme on behalf of the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS).
This summer, from mid-May to mid-July, you can submit your own nominations for a blue plaque under the national scheme.
There will be advice on what we’re looking for in the nomination process, an online application form, and details on how decisions will be made.
Historic England’s national blue plaque scheme celebrates people throughout history who have made significant and positive contributions to human welfare or happiness.
Full criteria will be published in May when the scheme is open for public nominations. In the meantime, here are the key points to consider if you’re thinking about nominating someone for a plaque:
- At least 20 years must have passed since the candidate’s death
- They must have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness
- At least 1 building in England associated with the figure must survive in a form that the commemorated person would have recognised, and it must be visible from the public highway
- Although they refer to nominating a person, they are also open to nominations for more than 1 person and events.
A distinguished judging panel has been appointed to make decisions on which applications to support. This comprises:
- Professor Ronald Hutton – Interim Panel Chair
- Samira Ahmed
- Professor Sarah Churchwell
- Professor Jerome de Groot
- Professor Alison Oram
- Professor Martin Polley
- Susie Thornberry
Historic England, perhaps a little belatedly, has recognised the existence of blue plaque schemes run by organisations such as the Coventry Society. They state “The national scheme… complements the work of 100s of dedicated civic societies, local history groups, universities, and architectural associations that already run their own successful local schemes. Alongside those schemes and English Heritage’s London blue plaque scheme, we aim to help more people celebrate inspirational historical figures and feel proud of their local area.
“Historic England are partnering with Civic Voice to ensure local plaque schemes run by civic societies shape how we run the national scheme.”