Interactive blue plaques map allows Londoners to discover who’s lived nearby

Do you live in Marylebone, Soho, or near Baker Street? Living or working in central London makes it virtually impossible not to spot one of London’s many eye-catching blue plaques, which mark the residences once lived in or worked in by someone who achieved something of note during their lifetime.  

Now the blue plaque scheme, which was first rolled out in 1866, has moved into a new phase with the release of an interactive map which allows users to locate every blue plaque in London.

Created by mapping technology company Esri UK, the map gives users the ability to select a blue dot on a map of London to pull up information about the identity of the person whose name is found on the blue plaque in each location. Users can also use the map to discover who lived near them.

If you live in Marylebone, Baker Street or the surrounding area, you’re in luck, as the City of Westminster has more blue plaques than any other London borough. In fact, Westminster has 309 blue plaques. Yet the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which is the borough with the second highest number of blue plaques, only has 175 by comparison. The London Borough of Camden has the third highest number of blue plaques, with 166.

The blue plaques system has endured in the capital, helping to animate buildings and remind us of the remarkable contributions made by people in history who once lived in the neighbourhood.

Blue plaques historian Howard Spencer, said: “It’s uplifting to stumble upon a blue plaque while going about our daily lives…They’re a reminder that these people actually lived here and we’re walking in their footsteps”.

You might remember that we dedicated a previous blog post to blue plaques in Marylebone, highlighting some of its famous former residents. You can view this blog post here.

Alternatively, for more information on the interactive map, click the link below:

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