London’s History in Memorials

Plaques have been a feature of London since the first ones were erected in 1867 by the Society of Arts.

The London County Council (LCC) took over the scheme in 1901, and was succeeded by the GLC (Greater London Council) in 1965. When the GLC was abolished in 1986, English Heritage acquired responsibility, and have since erected over 500 new plaques. There are however many more plaques erected by local councils and specialist groups.

The purpose of this website is to collate as many of them as possible into one place. The plaques are mainly in London postal areas and the Home Counties.

Inevitably some plaques have disappeared over the years, either being lost during building works, or sadly, removed for their scrap value. Where possible, we have noted that a plaque no longer exists, but it is impossible to keep track of all of them.

We are indebted to Derek Sumeray and his excellent book ‘Discovering London Plaques’, and the 2010 update by John Sheppard.