Bow Street was formed about 1637. It has been the residence of many notable men, among whom were Henry Fielding (novelist), Sir John Fielding (magistrate), Grinling Gibbons (woodcarver), Charles Macklin (actor), John Radcliffe (physician), Charles Sackville Earl of Dorset (poet), William Wycherley (dramatist)

Bow Street was home to a number of illustrious individuals, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries. The London County Council chose to commemorate only those seven former inhabitants who then appeared in the Dictionary of National Biography when commemorating the historic significance of the street with this rectangular white plaque, made in two sections and depicting the arms granted to the LCC in 1914.