Documenting the historical links between people and places as recorded by commemorative plaques
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Plaque Of The Day
Jez says,"Made by Leander Architecture, this plaque is the first to include a QR code which when scanned by a mobile phone will take you to a Norman Wisdom web"
Place Of The Day
Norwich has a long history. It has been a city since 1094. From the Middle Ages until the Industrial Revolution, Norwich was the largest city in England after London and one of the most important. This is refelected in its plaques.
Most-viewed plaques
In the last 11 years, between 20 May 2009 to 31 May 2020, Open Plaques had a total of 1,913,965 page views. Some were triggered by internet memes such as Steve Ullathorne's 2012 image of a George Orwell plaque with a CCTV camera next to it. Others, such as those for Alan Turing, were probably triggered by an anniversary and campaign for recognition.
- George Orwell 1903-1950 novelist & political essayist lived here (19177 page views)
- Jacob von Hogflume 1864-1909 Inventor of time travel. lived here in 2189 (14612 page views)
- George Orwell 1903-1950 novelist and political essayist lived here (6298 page views)
- Jimi Hendrix 1942-1970 guitarist and songwriter lived here 1968-1969 (5484 page views)
- Alan Turing 1912-1954 founder of computer science and cryptographer, whose work was key to breaking the wartime Enigma codes, lived and died here. (3913 page views)
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1859-1930 creator of Sherlock Holmes lived here 1891-1894 (3761 page views)
- Alan Turing 1912-1954 code breaker lived here from 1945-1947 (3522 page views)
- This building housed the offices of Charles Dickens' magazine 'All The Year Round' and his private apartments 1859-1870 (3278 page views)
- Dame Agatha Christie 1890-1976 detective novelist and playwright lived here 1934-1941 (2928 page views)
- The Peterloo Massacre. On 16th August 1819, a peaceful rally of 60,000 pro-democracy reformers, men, women and children was attacked by armed cavalry resulting in 15 deaths and over 600 injuries. (2887 page views)
recently photographed plaques
Davygate. A thoroughfare for over 800 years and named after David, the King's Lardiner in the reign of King Stephen (1135) whose great grandfather had come over with William the Conqueror. He had control over the nearby Forest of Galtres and supplied the Royal Larder therefrom.
Saint Helen's Square, York, United Kingdom
Subjects
Howard Carter 1874-1939 Egyptologist and discoverer of the tomb of Tutankhamun lived here
19 Collingham Gardens, Kensington and Chelsea, SW5, London, United Kingdom
Subjects
Texas Historical Marker #11633
Scales-Fortson House. This residence was constructed in the 1890s by H. L. Scales, owner of a local gin and cottonseed oil mill. In 1911 it was purchased by John Thompson, president of the Corsicana National Bank. It became the home of banker and landowner Joe B. Fortson in the 1920s and remained in his family until 1976. The galleried house features Victorian and classical revival detailing and interior woodwork of walnut, maple, and redwood. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980 #11633
220 N 14th, Corsicana, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #7974
Trinity Chapel A.M.E. Church. The Trinity Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church traces its beginnings to 1882 when it was established as a mission church. The Reverend W.M. Apling was appointed as the first pastor. Land for a church was donated in 1887 by the New York and Texas Land Company, Ltd. A small one-room building was erected by 1890. To house its growing numbers, the members redesigned the sanctuary. Changes included relocating the entrance, adding a bell tower, and attaching a wing to the north and south sides. The pews were hand-hewn wooden benches, supported by backs decorated with nine-inch spindles. Several prominent area citizens have been members of this church. The congregation promotes programs such as Sunday school and vacation Bible school, and supports civic responsibility through local scholarships and financial patronage of Paul Quinn College in Dallas, and the Trinity Community Cemetery. The Church also sponsors a clothing bank, promotes an African American parade and contributes to other social outreach programs. The Trinity Chapel A.M.E. Church continues to serve the Trinity area as it has for more than a century. #7974
980 South Robb, Trinity, TX, United States
Edgar Wood Architect (1860-1935) 34-48 Rochdale Road 1898
34 - 48 Rochdale Road, Middleton, United Kingdom
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Captain Noel Chavasse, Royal Army Medical Corps VC and BAR, 1884-1917, was born in Oxford and attended this school
Magdalen College School, Cowley Place, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Texas Historical Marker #4991
Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary. Chartered March 14, 1908, for graduate education in Christian ministries. Moved here in 1910 from Waco, Texas. Original 200-acre campus tract and first building, Fort Worth Hall, were gifts of people of Fort Worth. Control passed from Baptist General Convention of Texas to Southern Baptist Convention in 1925. First president (1908-14) was B.H. Carroll. Successors: L.R. Scarborough, 1914-42; E.D. Head, 1942-53; J. Howard Williams, 1953-58; Robert E. Naylor, 1958-. #4991
Jame & W. Seminary St., Fort Worth, TX, United States
Edward Knoblock (1874-1945) Playwright of "Kismet" lived in Beach House 1917-1923
Beach House, Brighton Road, Worthing, United Kingdom
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Highams built 1768 Landscape Gardens by Humphry Repton 1794
Woodford County High School, High Road Woodford, London, United Kingdom
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One of the oldest breweries in Poland was located in the enchanting 15th century cellars of this tenement house, mention of it can be found in ancient chronicles. The restaurant section inspired by those times is located in these historical underground caverns.
?, Kraków, Poland
The first pneumatic tyre factory in the world was started here in 1889, to make tyres under John Boyd Dunlop's patent of the 7th December, 1888.
67 Upper Stephen Street, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland
Subjects
In this house, when used as the Officers Mess of Grange Airfield during WW1. Major Robert Smith-Barry, RFC 1886 - 1949 (later Lt-Col, AFC, RAF.) established a system of pilot training, which is still in use now, and developed the Gosport tube for communicating in aircraft.
Stokes Bay Road, Gosport, United Kingdom