The City of London’s Blue Plaques scheme acknowledges that the
City has changed considerably over the centuries and that the
building associated with the commemoration may not now survive. The
scheme does, however, have a number of strict criteria which must
be satisfied before a plaque application is progressed.
These criteria are as follows
Individuals or groups of people
Without exception, proposals for the commemoration of famous
people shall not be considered until they have been dead for 10
years or until the centenary of birth, whichever is the earlier. In
addition, at least one of the following requirements is to be
met.
- There shall be reasonable grounds for believing that the
subject is regarded as eminent or deserving of recognition.
- They shall have made some important positive contribution to
history or society.
- They shall have had such outstanding personalities that the
well-informed passer-by immediate recognises their name or
names.
Buildings or sites
The nature of the current building or use of a site shall not
preclude the erection of a plaque, but such issues as technical
difficulties of fixing and the need to obtain Listed Building
Consent shall be taken into consideration. The consent of all
parties who have a relevant legal interest in the site of the
proposed plaque will be required and it may be useful to know at
the point of application if the views of these parties have been
ascertained. The following requirement shall be met, but you should
note that a building or site shall not be marked solely because it
figures in a work of fiction.
- There shall be reasonable grounds for believing that the
subject is of archaeological, architectural or historic
interest.
National / International organisations
Such organisations may be deemed worthy of consideration
provided that at least one of the following criteria are met.
- There shall be reasonable grounds for believing that the
subject is regarded as eminent or deserving of recognition.
- They shall have made some important positive contribution to
society or history and development of the City of London.
- A well-informed passer-by should immediately recognise their
name.
Foreign applications
In these cases a contribution towards the cost of production or
erection would normally be expected, either from the relevant
Government or the person / organisation making the proposal and the
following criteria must also be met.
- They should be of international reputation or of significant
standing in their own country.
- Their time in the City of London should have been a significant
period within their life and work.
- The form of name, forename or title in the inscription on a
plaque should be in accordance with that given in a standard
English work of reference or as would be readily recognisable to a
reasonably well-informed passer-by.
Download an application form
here (160kb)
Please note that Plaques outside the City of London are
primarily the responsibility of English Heritage (020 7973 3000),
although some London Boroughs also operate their own
system.