Blue Plaques signpost our rich heritage

Our latest feature in The Bury Free Press explains the story of our Blue Plaque scheme

As a society we are very proud of the many famous and celebrated people who resided in, or were associated with Bury St Edmunds. Whenever possible we try to develop new initiatives to enhance the very special heritage of our town. Bringing together the local knowledge and resources just exactly when they are needed is something we regularly do.

In 2010, the Bury Society decided to implement a nationally accepted approach for recognition; namely the ‘Blue Plaques’ scheme.  As is our approach to such important matters, the Bury Society members were involved from the start and canvassed for their opinions as to who deserved recognition.  An avalanche of names was forthcoming, underlining the importance and rich heritage of the town, but in the end only seven could go forward. We are proud that we bucked the national trend at that time for such schemes and included three women on the final list. Sybil Andrews and Rose Mead, artists and Norah Lofts the author.

On the 7^th February 2012, having navigated all the bureaucratic hurdles and necessary permissions, the first blue plaque recording the author Charles Dickens links to the town was unveiled on the wall of the Angel Hotel. This February date marking exactly 200 years since his birth in 1812.

The other plaques to James Oakes (18^th century banker and diarist), Lewis Nockalls Cottingham (architect), Frederic Gershom Parkington (cellist and clock collector) and Sybil Andrews (artist) soon followed helped by generous donations, including the Sybil Andrews Heritage Society in Canada. The last plaque was to Norah Lofts (author) and was unveiled by her son Clive Lofts in mid-February.

The scheme remained under occasional review and indeed in 2015 a blue plaque was installed on Denny’s building on the corner of St Andrews Street South/Kings Road, but this time, instead of noting an individual, it commemorated a Zeppelin raid on Bury St Edmunds a hundred years earlier when seven residents were killed as a result.

Many notable individuals who have shaped our town have not been marked with a blue plaque and as a society we are lobbied about increasing the number of plaques. We recognise the importance of these people and the buildings associated with them, but negotiating the bureaucracy of the scheme, the necessary permissions, and most importantly the cost, means we would have to think long and hard before committing to such a course of action. An active and enlarged membership can help us look at all our activities in the town, including blue plaques. Membership provides a voice for not only this scheme but all our works within the area, preserving our heritage, enhancing the green landscape, and above all be a voice in the future development of the town.

Our blue plaque scheme is appreciated by our newer residents as much as by the tourists who come to our town partly because of its important heritage features.  We are very fortunate in this town, so it is easy to forget our past as something no longer relevant or take it for granted – the blue plaques are a constant reminder.

We know from the recent plans to close our local archives office which disadvantages and denies affordable access for many to the unique history of West Suffolk, our ability to be a strong voice for the town is vital. Today, to question and challenge those local government cuts which threaten Bury St Edmunds, which is so special to all of us, is more important than ever.

See our Blue Plaques page elsewhere in this website, under About the Bury Society