40-578: The Tipton Catastrophe or Dudley Port explosion was a 1922 munitions explosion in the South Staffordshire town of Tipton , England, in which 19 teenaged girls, working in an unlicensed and unsafe factory, died. The works' head manager was imprisoned for manslaughter. Several memorials commemorate the victims. After World War I , millions of surplus rifle cartridges remained in British army stock. 45 million rounds of .22 ammunition were purchased by
80-445: A group with a particular interest in its subject. The London Borough of Southwark started its own blue plaque scheme in 2003, under which the borough awards plaques through popular vote following public nomination: living people may be commemorated. The London Borough of Islington has a similar green heritage plaque scheme, initiated in 2010. Other plaques may be erected by smaller groups, such as residents' associations . In 2007
120-474: A marketing tool for English Heritage". The vice chair Dr Celina Fox and Dr Margaret Pelling stated that the scheme was "being dismantled and its previous achievements discredited". In April 2015, English Heritage was divided into two parts, Historic England (a statutory body), and the new English Heritage Trust (a charity, which took over the English Heritage operating name and logo). Responsibility for
160-678: A member of the Windrush generation . In Northern Ireland , Belfast City Council and the Ulster History Circle are among a small number of groups administering blue plaques. Established in 1983, the Ulster History Circle has erected around 260. Its scope extends into the Republic of Ireland , covering all nine counties of Ulster , the northern province in Ireland . Elsewhere in
200-507: A minimum of 20 years having passed since the death of the nominee, who must have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness. At least one surviving building must be associated with the nominee in a form that they would have recognised and the building must be visible from the public highway. The first plaque in the scheme was unveiled in Ilkley , West Yorkshire on 23 February 2024, commemorating Daphne Steele , first Black matron in
240-514: A number of similar schemes administered by organisations throughout the UK. The plaques erected are made in a variety of designs, shapes, materials and colours: some are blue, others are not. However, the term "blue plaque" is often used informally to encompass all such schemes. The "official" scheme traces its origins to that launched in 1866 in London, on the initiative of the politician William Ewart , to mark
280-717: A plaque was the actor Sarah Siddons in 1876. The plaque, placed on her house in Marylebone , London, was retrieved when the house was demolished in 1905 and is now held in the Victoria and Albert Museum . In total, the Society of Arts put up 35 plaques, fewer than half of which survive today. The Society only erected one plaque within the square-mile of the City of London , that to Samuel Johnson on his house in Gough Square , in 1876. In 1879, it
320-566: A potter, at his workshop in Chepstow , Wales. Each plaque is made entirely by hand. A small minority of GLC and English Heritage plaques have been erected to commemorate events which took place at particular locations rather than the famous people who lived there. In 1998, English Heritage initiated a trial national plaques scheme, and over the following years erected 34 plaques in Birmingham , Merseyside , Southampton and Portsmouth . The scheme
360-614: A trial programme since discontinued, 34 plaques were erected elsewhere in England. The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 extended the scheme to the whole of England. Many other plaque schemes have been initiated in the United Kingdom. Some are restricted to a specific geographical area, others to a particular theme of historical commemoration. They are administered by a range of bodies including local authorities , civic societies , residents' associations and other organisations such as
400-595: Is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker . The term is used in the United Kingdom in two senses. It may be used narrowly and specifically to refer to the "official" scheme administered by English Heritage , and for much of its history restricted to sites within Greater London ; or it may be used less formally to encompass
440-447: The City of London coat of arms . Because of the rapidity of change in the built environment within the City, a high proportion of Corporation of London plaques mark the sites of former buildings. Many of the 32 London boroughs also now have their own schemes, running alongside the English Heritage scheme. Westminster City Council runs a green plaque scheme, each plaque being sponsored by
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#1732859082706480-589: The Factory Act . In summing up, Shearman said it had been the worst case of manslaughter he had dealt with. Twenty-three civil cases were also brought against the perpetrators. Fleming's preliminary report was published on 12 July. The final report was published on 8 November. It was revealed that the factory, as an unauthorised subcontractor of a licensed contractor, was not licensed to carry out such work, and thus had never been inspected for its suitability to do so. The victims had worn their own clothing and shoes, and
520-588: The Hampstead Garden Suburb Residents Association erected a blue plaque in memory of Prime Minister Harold Wilson at 12 Southway as part of the suburb's centenary celebrations. In 2021, a Black Lives Matter plaque was erected at the Wolverhampton Heritage Centre (the former constituency office of Enoch Powell , where his Rivers of Blood speech was written) to commemorate immigrant rights activist Paulette Wilson ,
560-524: The National Health Service in 1964. On 24 May 2024, a blue plaque commemorating the childhood home of musician George Harrison in Liverpool was unveiled, and was referred to in the press as "Historic England's first official non-London blue plaque". The popularity of English Heritage 's London blue plaques scheme has meant that a number of comparable schemes have been established elsewhere in
600-944: The Transport Trust , the Royal Society of Chemistry , the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America and the British Comic Society. There are also commemorative plaque schemes throughout the world such as those in Paris , Rome , Oslo , and Dublin ; and in other cities in Australia, Canada, the Philippines , Russia, and the United States. These take various forms, and they are more likely to be known as commemorative plaques or historical markers. The original blue plaque scheme
640-686: The Premier Aluminium Casting Company Limited of Hay Mills , Birmingham, who were licensed to process them to recover their scrap metal. A condition of the licence was that the factory where the work was undertaken was inspected for the suitability of its premises and safety processes, such as the avoidance of naked flames, and isolating workers from each other in groups of two or three. It was usual for workers in such licensed premises to be required to wear shoes without nails, to avoid sparks, and non-flammable clothing. Premier Aluminium Casting resold about 160 long tons (160 t) of
680-507: The Republic, schemes are operated through local authorities and civic societies . Historic Environment Scotland , the Scottish heritage agency, has previously operated a national commemorative plaques scheme but, as of 2023, this was inactive. Regional schemes are run by local authorities. Wales does not operate a national blue plaque scheme, although in 2022 Andrew RT Davies , leader of
720-449: The Society's plaques, but to make them uniformly blue, with a laurel wreath and the LCC's title. Though this design was used consistently from 1903 to 1938, some experimentation occurred in the 1920s, and plaques were made in bronze, stone and lead. Shape and colour also varied. In 1921, the most common (blue) plaque design was revised, as it was discovered that glazed Royal Doulton stoneware
760-423: The United Kingdom. Many of these schemes also use blue plaques, often manufactured in metal or plastic rather than the ceramic used in London, but some feature plaques of different colours and shapes. In 2012, English Heritage published a register of plaque schemes run by other organisations across England. The criteria for selection varies greatly. Many schemes treat plaques primarily as memorials and place them on
800-483: The ammunition for dismantling at premises owned by Louisa Kate Knowles in Groveland Road, Dudley Port , Tipton. On 6 March 1922, an explosion occurred at Knowles' workshop, detonating a large quantity of the cartridges. 19 of the 24 workers present, all teenagers, one being 13 years old, one 16, and the rest 14 or 15, were killed, some after suffering horrendous injuries and burning. Thousands of onlookers gathered at
840-578: The authorities. A formal investigation was ordered by the Home Secretary , Edward Shortt , under Section 66 of the Explosives Act, 1875 . The inquiry was headed by Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Fleming [ Wikidata ] , a Metropolitan Police magistrate, with the assistance of Major Aston Cooper-Key [ Wikidata ] , the government's Chief Inspector of Explosives. It opened on 22 May 1922 at Victoria Law Courts , Birmingham, and
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#1732859082706880-541: The blue plaque scheme passed to the English Heritage Trust. The 1,000th plaque, marking the offices of the Women's Freedom League , 1908–1915, was unveiled in 2023. To be eligible for an English Heritage blue plaque in London, the famous person concerned must: In cases of foreigners and overseas visitors, candidates should be of international reputation or significant standing in their own country. With regards to
920-646: The event was marked with an installation by the Birmingham artist Chris Hardy, at Tipton Community Centre, comprising 19 oversize dresses, which had holes from being shot at. Tipton Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.236 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 394076819 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:44:42 GMT Blue plaque A blue plaque
960-627: The homes and workplaces of famous people. The first such scheme in the world, it has directly or indirectly provided the inspiration and model for many others. The scheme has been administered successively by the Society of Arts (1866–1901), the London County Council (1901–1965), the Greater London Council (1965–1986) and English Heritage (1986 to date). It was initially focused on Greater London , although between 1998 and 2005, under
1000-437: The location of a plaque: Other schemes have different criteria, which are often less restrictive: in particular, it is common under other schemes for plaques to be erected to mark the sites of demolished buildings. Almost all the proposals for English Heritage blue plaques are made by members of the public who write or email the organisation before submitting a formal proposal. English Heritage's in-house historian researches
1040-481: The proposal, and the Blue Plaques Panel advises on which suggestions should be successful. This is composed of 12 people from various disciplines from across the country. The panel is chaired by Professor William Whyte . Other members (as at September 2023) include Richard J. Aldrich , Mihir Bose , Andrew Graham-Dixon , Claire Harman , Gus Casely-Hayford and Amy Lame . The actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry
1080-509: The scheme. In the event the scheme was relaunched by English Heritage in June 2014 with private funding (including support from a new donors' club, the Blue Plaques Club, and from property developer David Pearl ). Four members of the advisory panel resigned over this transmutation. Professor David Edgerton and author and critic Gillian Darley were concerned that the scheme had been "reduced to
1120-518: The site. The injured and dying were taken to the Guest Hospital in nearby Dudley , which was stretched to capacity as a result. The event was reported in cinema newsreels , and was discussed in Parliament, not least by a local Member of Parliament , Alfred Short , a prominent trades unionist . The remaining ammunition, said to be worth £2,800 (equivalent to £193,126 in 2023) was seized by
1160-412: The sites of former buildings, in contrast to the strict English Heritage policy of only installing a plaque on the actual building in which a famous person lived or an event took place. The Corporation of London continues to run its own plaque scheme for the City of London , where English Heritage does not erect plaques. City of London plaques are blue and ceramic, but are rectangular in shape and carry
1200-522: The standardisation of the design in 1921, the plaques were manufactured by Royal Doulton which continued their production until 1955. From 1984 until 2015 they were made by Frank Ashworth at his studio in Cornwall, and were then inscribed by his wife. From 1955 to 1985 the lettering for the plaques was designed in the Roman lettering style by Henry Hooper. Since 2015, the plaques have been made by Ned Heywood,
1240-460: The subjects including Sylvia Pankhurst , Samuel Coleridge-Taylor , and Mary Seacole . In 1986, the GLC was disbanded and the blue plaques scheme passed to English Heritage . English Heritage erected more than 300 plaques in London. In January 2013 English Heritage suspended proposals for plaques owing to funding cuts. The National Trust 's chairman stated that his organisation might step in to save
Tipton Catastrophe - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-418: The two world wars. The LCC formalised the selection criteria for the scheme in 1954. When the LCC was abolished in 1965, the scheme was taken over by the Greater London Council (GLC). The principles of the scheme changed little, but now applied to the entire, much larger, administrative county of Greater London . The GLC was also keen to broaden the range of people commemorated. The GLC erected 252 plaques,
1320-466: The workshop, which had a concrete floor, was heated by an open stove and a fire. No safety precautions had been taken. A Portland stone memorial to the victims, erected by public subscription in 1924 and refurbished in 2010, stands in section O of Tipton Cemetery . It bears the names of all of the victims, as well as the five survivors. The site of the explosion is marked with a blue plaque , erected by Tipton Civic Society in 2013. The centenary of
1360-412: Was agreed that the City of London Corporation would be responsible for erecting plaques within the City to recognise its jurisdictional independence. This demarcation has remained ever since. In 1901, the Society of Arts scheme was taken over by the London County Council (LCC), which gave much thought to the future design of the plaques. It was eventually decided to keep the basic shape and design of
1400-499: Was cheaper than the encaustic formerly used. In 1938, a new plaque design was prepared by an unnamed student at the LCC's Central School of Arts and Crafts and was approved by the committee. It omitted the decorative elements of earlier plaque designs, and allowed for lettering to be better spaced and enlarged. A white border was added to the design shortly after, and this has remained the standard ever since. No plaques were erected between 1915 and 1919, or between 1940 and 1947, owing to
1440-496: Was discontinued in 2005, although English Heritage continued to provide advice and guidance to individuals and organisations outside of London wanting to develop local schemes. In September 2023 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced the reintroduction of a national scheme, with Historic England as the lead developer. From mid 2024, the public will be invited to submit nominations, with eligibility criteria including
1480-401: Was established by the Society of Arts in 1867, and since 1986 has been run by English Heritage . It is the oldest such scheme in the world. After being conceived by politician William Ewart in 1863, the scheme was initiated in 1866 by Ewart, Henry Cole and the Society of Arts (now the Royal Society of Arts ), which erected plaques in a variety of shapes and colours. The first plaque
1520-630: Was formerly a member of the panel, and wrote the foreword to the book Lived in London: Blue Plaques and the Stories Behind Them (2009). Roughly a third of proposals are approved in principle, and are placed on a shortlist. Because the scheme is so popular, and because a lot of detailed research has to be carried out, it takes about three years for each case to reach the top of the shortlist. Proposals not taken forward can only be re-proposed once 10 years have elapsed. From 1923, soon after
1560-547: Was postponed until 24 July, after criminal proceedings had concluded. The factory owner's husband and its head manager, John Walter Knowles, aged 55, and the works manager, James Richard Chadwick, were tried for manslaughter at Stafford Assizes before Mr. Justice Shearman . The two-day trial opened on 10 July 1922. Knowles, who was represented by Henry Curtis-Bennett , was sentenced to five years imprisonment, and Chadwick acquitted. It transpired that Knowles had previous convictions for receiving stolen metal, and for contravening
1600-481: Was unveiled in 1867 to commemorate Lord Byron at his birthplace, 24 Holles Street, Cavendish Square . This house was demolished in 1889. The earliest blue plaque to survive, also put up in 1867, commemorates Napoleon III in King Street, St James's . Byron's plaque was blue, but the colour was changed by the manufacturer Minton, Hollins & Co to chocolate brown to save money. The first woman to be honoured with
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