Historic Environment Scotland - 12 new commemorative plaques
In August 2016, HES (Historic Environment Scotland) announced details of 12 people to be commemorated under the commemorative plaque scheme, including entertainer Stan Laurel, Sarah Siddons Mair, early 20th century campaigner for women’s education and suffrage and Sir Nigel Gresley, railway engineer.
HES (Historic Environment Scotland) wrote:
Glasgow’s favourite ‘Son of the Desert’ is to be commemorated with a plaque, which will be mounted on the Glasgow tenement building where he spent many of his formative years. Although born in Cumbria, Stan Laurel (real name Arthur Stanley Jefferson) of ‘Laurel and Hardy’ fame, moved to Glasgow when he was a boy, and it would be in the city’s famous Britannia Panopticon, the world’s oldest, still-used music hall, that he would make his stage debut, aged 16.
Other recipients of the Commemorative Plaque Scheme include luminaries and pioneers in the fields of engineering, architecture, literature, science, politics, and the advancement of women’s rights.
Martin Fairley, Head of Grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: ‘The idea of the scheme is to allow the public to tell us which historic figures deserve to be celebrated and commemorated. By installing a plaque on a building closely associated with that person we hope to emphasise the social and human element of local architecture. After all, a building can have a great influence on the character of the person who lived or worked there. This latest batch of nominations provides some fine examples of that, as well as some prominent figures, from Stan Laurel, to Nobel Prize winning physicist Max Born, famous biographer James Boswell, and medical pioneer Dr Flora Murray, to name just a few.’
Stan Laurel’s plaque is set to be mounted on the wall of the tenement block on 17 Craigmillar Road in Glasgow’s South Side where he spent part of his formative years. His father, also Arthur Jefferson, was a theatre manager and the family had moved north of the border when he was offered a job at the city’s Metropole Theatre (now demolished).
The young Stan Laurel was fascinated by the theatre and made his first tentative steps into show business when he was 16, making his first professional performance on the stage of the Britannia Music Hall, which remains something of a mecca for Laurel and Hardy fans to this day. Although his career was to take him all over the world, Laurel always retained a strong affinity with Glasgow. Such was his popularity with Glaswegians that when Laurel and Hardy arrived on tour in Glasgow, huge crowds gathered in the streets to see the pair.
In total there are 12 recipients of plaques in this round, which includes the author Neil Munro, famous for his comic creation ‘Para Handy’, caption of the Vital Spark; Sarah Siddons Mair, early 20th century campaigner for women’s education and suffrage; railway engineer Sir Nigel Gresley, who was responsible for creating many of Scotland’s railway networks; and politician Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham, who was the first ever socialist member of Parliament of the United Kingdom, and a founder of the Scottish Labour Party, as well as the National Party in Scotland.
The Historic Environment Scotland Commemorative Plaque Scheme celebrates significant historic figures by awarding plaques to be erected on the buildings where they lived or worked. Anybody can nominate a person to be recognised, by completing a simple application form that will be available later this year.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Historic Environment.
- Institute of Historic Building Conservation.
- Conservation.
- Engineer.
- Architecture.
[edit] External references
IHBC NewsBlog
IHBC’s 2019 ‘Yearbook’ Now Released "Extending the Reach of the IHBC"
The IHBC’s Yearbook for 2019 includes regular IHBC reviews, updates and listings, from IHBC’s HESPR listing to our Recognised Conservation Courses and member directory.
IHBC 2019 Marsh Awards now out: at the IHBC’s 2019 School, Nottingham 4 – 6 July
The judges are delighted to confer the 2019 IHBC Marsh Awards for Successful Learning in Heritage Skills and Community Contribution (Retired Member).
Rail stations in line for £300 million funding boost to improve disabled access
Disabled rail passengers across Britain will benefit from better access at stations and newly accessible stations will open up routes across the country.
A historical take on the future of Notre Dame, from IHBC’s former Membership Secretary
The IHBC asked former Membership Secretary Paul Butler for a take on some critical and historical issues around the modern response to Notre Dame.
CPRE’s State of Brownfield 2019 report: Enough land for more than 1M homes
CPRE shows there is enough suitable brownfield land available in England for more than 1 million homes across over 18,000 sites and over 26,000 hectares.
BBC on ‘The grief that comes from lost buildings’
BBC News has reported on how, across the world, destruction of cultural attractions causes a specific sort of communal grief.
Enter the Brick Awards 2019: Closing 31 May
The Brick Development Association (BDA) has highlighted the opportunity to compete at the industry’s highest level and be recognised by top-tier trade and national press.
STBA-SPAB Conference – 11 June 2019, London
The 2019 STBA-SPAB Conference & Expo will look at the current situation of regulations and initiatives, as well as the skills training that enable our built environment to include a wealth of healthy buildings with heritage and aesthetic value.
Historic buildings on fire – Fisons Victorian factory near Ipswich destroyed
The former Fisons warehouse in Bramford, near Ipswich, was the victim on another fire affecting our heritage. Listed Grade II and dating back to 1858 the building was destroyed by a fire thought to be arson.
Highways England pours £4 million into canal restoration scheme
A mile-long stretch of canal in Gloucestershire that disappeared more than half a century ago is closer to being restored, thanks to £4 million of funding from Highways England.
Westminster: Legislative plans for Olympics-style body to oversee restoration works
MPs vote on proposals for Houses of Parliament refurbishment, as the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster reaches a major milestone.
Ever wondered ‘How Venice Works’, with 124 Islands, 183 Canals & 438 Bridges
Open Culture has featured the Venice Backstage exploration of Venice and how, when the tourists leave the city, 60,000 year-round residents stay behind.