Published: 09/05/2018
There’s no better way to feel like a seasoned Londoner than by pointing out a blue plaque to a bunch of city newbies. And now you can see the exact location of all 933 of these distinctive discs and when they appeared, thanks to Esri UK’s interactive map.Set up in 1866, the English Heritage blue plaque scheme commemorates the houses and workplaces of famous figures, including the likes of Freddie Mercury, Marie Stopes, Samuel Pepys and Enid Blyton. Esri’s animated map shows the spread of blue dots throughout the ages, from the first plaque (for French Emperor Napoleon III, who lived on King Street off St James’s Square) to the latest, commemorating BBC director-general Sir Hugh Carleton Greene. There have been other Blue Plaque maps out there, including an official English Heritage app, but as far as we know there are none this swishy or up-to-date for your desktop.