London Remembers Relaunch

You’ll probably be familiar with the blue plaques that feature on lots of old London buildings, which is English Heritage’s scheme to record the significant locations in the lives of the literary elite, politicians, philanthropists, the great scientific minds and the celebrities. However, the blue plaques don’t record every person of note or important event in London, and until ‘London Remembers’ came along there was no attempt to catalogue the others, which can be found in the oddest corners of the city – plaques that celebrate local heroes like Frank Matcham at the Hackney Empire for example, monuments to the fallen such as the World War I memorial at the Hornsey British Legion club, or statues that have popped up all over the city to commemorate the tragic events of London’s past. Visit the site (which has very recently had a radical visual makeover) and you’ll be surprised to discover that this is the work of one very determined woman, whose mission it is to document all of them. As well as a clickable map, there’s also a useful list of categories and subjects on the site that allow you to dig right down into the detail. 

Having spent some time talking to the site’s owner at last night’s launch, contributions aren’t needed but suggestions of places to visit are welcomed. You’ll note for example that the East End is rather under-represented on the map, despite there being many notable sites (not least of which is the best footballing statue in the country, in my humble opinion). So, if there’s somewhere that you really think deserves a mention on ‘London Remembers’, drop them a line here. Do take a look around the site – you’ve probably passed within feet of some very significant events without even a second glance…