Do you know where blue plaques are nationally?

You might have heard of blue plaques being positioned in cities to commemorate notable individuals and events associated with specific buildings or locations. You may have even seen them whilst visiting certain cities, and not so much in others. Do you know which cities have the most blue plaques?

Brunel Engraving have put together some useful data that shows where they are located nationally, and how many are distributed in the cities that have topped the list. 

Keep on reading to find out which UK city has the most!

London comes out on top

The data shows that London comes out with the most blue plaques, at 3376. Edinburgh comes in second place with 379 blue plaques, and Birmingham third place with 329. It’s important to note the significant increase in blue plaques in the capital, however London is much larger and more densely populated than Birmingham and Edinburgh.

At the end of the table, cities such as Bath, Glasgow and Sheffield come in with under 100 blue plaques each. Considering these are cities that are rich with history and culture, it’s a shame they are not celebrating the individuals that have historically gone on to bring success to the area. 

Could this be a sign UK nation capitals are given more blue plaques?

With London and Edinburgh having the most blue plaques on the list, from first sight it looks like the capitals of the UK nations are being given the blue plaque distribution. However, Belfast comes in 15th place on the list, with only 126 blue plaques, and Cardiff not making the list at all. 

However, this trend could have something to do with the population of the cities. London has a population of 8.9 million, Edinburgh 526,470, Cardiff 362,300 and Belfast 345,418. These numbers show a correlation between the number of plaques distributed for that city (minus Cardiff and Belfast). 

What benefit will the introduction of more blue plaques bring to communities?

The introduction of blue plaques in more cities will be good for improving the knowledge of those living there. For example, Bath comes in 18th place on the list for blue plaque and there's lots of history in relation to its Roman Baths. If more blue plaques were placed in the city, this would make the locals and tourists more knowledgeable, preserving the history of the city.  There are also many other applications for plaques, including memorial plaques.