The Barbican and Golden Lane Neighbourhood Forum has called on the City of London Corporation to increase the diversity of its blue plaques scheme, noting that only three of approximately 140 plaques in the Square Mile commemorate women—fewer than those dedicated to men named William.
The Forum, which represents residents, businesses, and community groups across the two estates, has put forward three suggestions for new plaques in its own neighbourhood, including one for Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s first and only female Prime Minister.
Forum highlights lack of diversity
In a proposal document seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the Forum writes of “a remarkable lack of diversity” in the current collection. It points out that there are no plaques in Golden Lane and that “there are more City plaques to men called William than there are to women in the Square Mile.”
The Corporation, which oversees the scheme and decides on new applications, says the oldest plaque is dedicated to Dr Samuel Johnson, erected at 17 Gough Square in 1876. A recent plaque was unveiled honouring Francis Barber, Britain’s first black schoolteacher and Dr Johnson’s male servant and heir, marking the launch of a more inclusive scheme. The Corporation now supports at least one application annually that cannot self-fund the £500 fee.
Three suggestions for new plaques
The Forum’s proposal says: “Given the remarkable history of our area, the increasing interest in it, and the likelihood that the new London Museum will only stimulate this further still, the Forum would like to see some new blue plaques to correct the imbalance and represent the variety and complexity of connections here.”
As a “starting point,” it suggests three plaques for the Barbican and Golden Lane area:
- The City’s first maternity hospital, founded at London House on Aldersgate Street in 1750. The Forum describes it as “a true Enlightenment institution” financed through voluntary subscriptions and offering improved scientific knowledge.
- Eleanor Seton Karr (1849–1937), founder of the Welcome Working Girls Institute and Restaurant, formerly at 6-7 Jewin Street. The restaurant, opened in 1882, offered affordable food, evening classes, a library, and access to a holiday home in Littlehampton until it was bombed in 1940.
- Benazir Bhutto (1953–2007), Pakistan’s first female Prime Minister and the first woman elected to head a Muslim-majority country. While in exile, she rented a flat in the Barbican, which she described in her autobiography as “the de facto command centre of the PPP [Pakistan People’s Party] both for England and for the units abroad.”
Calls for more plaques to women
Cathy Ross, spokeswoman for the Forum, told the LDRS: “We hope that the City will do more to equal the balance – at least 70 plaques to women are needed to level the scales.”
Brendan Barns, Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage, and Libraries Committee, said: “The return of our Blue Plaques Scheme reflects a renewed commitment to celebrating the people, places and organisations that have helped shape the Square Mile. Inclusivity is a key aim of the redesigned scheme, and we encourage nominations that celebrate women and other under-represented groups. We hope it will inspire applications from across our communities and help bring to light the many stories that deserve to be remembered.”
Submissions for the 2027 cycle will not be accepted until January 4, but the Forum has already prepared its proposal document to address the imbalance in the current collection.
