Across London more than 900 blue plaques celebrate extraordinary people from the
past and the buildings they lived in but from Mozart to Marx, Dickens to Darwin
most blue plaques are dedicated to men
When the London blue plaque scheme was
founded over a hundred and fifty years ago men dominated public life and women
were far less visible. Women in England couldn't vote, they couldn't take a
university degree and they were barred from many professions
although the London blue plaque scheme has come a long way since then there has
been a historic blindness to the roles women have played in our society
English Heritage is changing this. Since taking over the scheme we've more than doubled
the total number of blue plaques dedicated to women. Among them we've
honored Ada Lovelace, the pioneer of computing; Rosalind Franklin the
scientist who helped discover DNA and Nancy Astor the first woman to sit in
Parliament.
We've unveiled plaques to over 80 remarkable women but to
recognise more women we need your help. The London blue plaque scheme relies on
nominations from the public so who do you think we should celebrate?
Has she made a great and lasting impact on society? Did she die more than 20 years ago?
Does the London building in which she
lived or work still stand? If so we want to hear from you.
Together we can redress
the balance and celebrate many more inspiring women on the streets of London