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English Heritage’s blue plaque scheme is a beloved London tradition. Set up all the way back in 1866 to commemorate famous and noteworthy figures to have lived and worked in this great city, it has honoured over 1000 Londoners including the likes of Freddie Mercury, Emmeline Pankhurst, Samuel Pepys and Enid Blyton.
This year, actress and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn and influential glam rock musician Marc Bolan will be added to the auspicious list of names with plaques dotted around the city, with English Heritage having just announced its latest recipients. The locations of the plaques hasn’t yet been revealed.
The list of 2025 honourees focuses on cultural icons whose creative endeavours have helped to shape London. Also receiving plaques this year are ballerina, choreographer and English National Ballet co-founder Alicia Markova; Jamaican poet, playwright and equal rights campaigner Una Marson; acclaimed novelist Barbara Pym; and portraitist and landscape artist Graham Sutherland.
Recipients of the plaques must have been deceased for at least 20 years, and must have lived or worked in a surviving building in Greater London, the exterior of which has not been substantially altered.
Love a bit of London history? You can find out more about 2025’s recipients, and delve into the database documenting past honourees on the English Heritage website here.
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