Beeston has a very healthy population of more than thirty Blue Plaques – where notable locals are commemorated by distinctive wall-mounted blue discs.
But did you notice that NONE of the plaques is for a woman?
A Plaque of One’s Own.
This International Women’s Day (8 March 2023), Beeston Civic Society launches a campaign to recognise the women of our district, with plaques of their own. This campaign will continue into the future, to bring our female local heritage figures into the light where they belong.
What’s in it for property owners? Blue plaques add prestige and historical interest, but may also help to increase a property’s value. Research by the University of Leeds showed that a Blue Plaque in London bumps up the price of a home by over a quarter!
Your Help
We will need the help of locals like you to nominate the historical women who lived, worked and quietly achieved things in our district.
Each plaque could cost between £600 – £800 to make and install (including manufacture, installation, and administration costs such as Planning Permission applications). As a Registered Charity, we need funds raised from donations to be able to achieve our objectives, and Plaques are no different. We need to raise money to make it happen, so all donations are gratefully received!
If there’s a historical woman from Beeston, Chilwell, Attenborough, Bramcote or Toton who you think deserves a plaque, we want to hear about her!
Public nominations are essential to the work of any plaque scheme, and Lady Plaques is no exception. Indeed, owing to poor documentation of womens’ lives throughout history: evidence and records are scarcer and harder to find, campaigns of this type rely even more upon stories in families, groups, and communities – therefore, nominations are welcomed by anyone.
However, in the event that many more such suggestions may be received than can be approved, and given the resources available, there are highly selective criteriafor nominations.
BEESTON BORN. RENOWN lifelong humanitarian VOLUNTEER: FOR INTERNATIONAL BRIGADES (SPANISH CIVIL WAR); REFUGEES DURING WWII, AND THE PEACE MOVEMENT WORLDWIDE.
Eleanor Littlewood MBE
LOCAL COUNCILLOR
Lifelong Beestonian dedicated to social welfare. first female ChairMAN IN BEESTON. FIRST FEMALE OverseeR IN THE COUNTY.
Dr Winifred Alice Melland Thompson MB BS
GP & SURGEON
First female GP in Beeston. Lived and practiced in Beeston for almost 40 years.
Beeston Civic Society celebrates its 50th year in 2023. We wanted #LadyPlaques to form part of the year’s celebrations – and so in recognition of this, and to mark the first plaques installed, we’ll be making all plaques designated in 2023 red, rather than blue.
Selection criteria remains as strict as with the previous Blue Plaque scheme, with the addition of temporary priority among the subjects suggested being given to local women.
We hope to establish a new Blue Plaque panel soon in the future to consider subsequent nominations – male and female. The same criteria will apply.
Many ‘blue plaque’ schemes exist up and down the country. Despite the name, not all are blue! The original scheme began in London in 1866, by the Society of Arts, to commemorate famous people. It is the oldest plaque scheme in the world – and the first plaques were not blue. It wasn’t until London County Council took over administration of the scheme that the uniform blue design was adopted, in 1921.
Since then, many similar schemes have sprung up nationally and internationally, administered by different bodies such as local authorities, civic societies, resident associations, guilds and trusts.
Plaques for the Boys
Campaigners, such as Blue Plaque Rebellion, have long called for greater parity in plaque schemes, there’s even a book about it (A Woman Lived Here: Alternative Blue Plaques, Remembering London’s Remarkable Women by Allison Vale).
With only 14% of its plaques being for women, even English Heritage (who now administer London Blue Plaque Scheme) launched a campaign in 2018 to encourage nominations of London women. Many other bodies now actively seek to address the issue in their plaque schemes. Some schemes have been set up specifically to do this – such as Purple Plaques in Wales.
We believe that our plaques should reflect the people who lived and worked in our district. In an ideal world, selection framework which already exists would achieve fairness. However, as this hasn’t been the case, more discerning action is required.
Rather than “a flurry of plaques” for women “simply because they’re women“, Beeston Civic is advocating for local women of merit who should already have been considered eligible. Women who’ll finally have their day.
Please get in touch with us if you’re interested to be involved. Alternatively, see below to support our work, or nominate someone / somewhere for a #LadyPlaque.
Beeston Civic Society 