How the Blue Plaque Scheme Started

In the year 1866 a Blue Plaque Scheme was founded in London. The scheme is believed to be the oldest of its kind anywhere in the world. Due to its success it has also helped to develop a number of other schemes across London and the UK.

The Blue Plaque Scheme is managed by the (Royal) Society of Arts, the London County council and the Greater London Council. The English Heritage joined later in the year 1986.

The Blue Plaques idea has been widely adopted by other agencies throughout the country (and the world) which is why there are far more Blue Plaques in existance than the traditional English Heriate versions.

If you'd like to commemorate an important event, location or person please contact us to discuss your Blue Plaque ideas!

Where Are Blue Plaques Located?

Blue Plaques are generally placed on the wall of a building to commemorate a notable person, building information or occasion e.g. a battle or burial site from the past. It is a fantastic way of connecting a person to a place and it allows others to be aware of them.

The Design of the Blue Plaques

There have been many different designs of the blue plaque over the years however we tend to go for the more traditional way of manufacturing our signs, with the help of modern technology. The first process of the blue plaque is to decide on the inscription and design you want to have on it.

Once this has been decided a pattern is made, more often now, using our CNC Router to rout the required design into sheet acrylic. A mould is then made using sand mixed with a setting agent. The pattern is then removed and molten metal (aluminium, iron, bronze) is poured into the cavity in the mould. This is allowed to cool and the resulting cast is removed and "fettled" to prepare it for painting.

We now also make acrylic Blue Plaques, which have the appearance of a metal plaque, but are less attractive to metal thieves.

Croft Cast Signs have a wealth of expertise in producing very high quality, incredibly durable blue plaques. Working precisely to designs made by our customers, our plaques are cast in high-quality aluminium and finished by hand - setting them apart from most other cast plaques. The high quality acrylic paint finish is incredibly durable and UV resistant, meaning your plaque will retain its finish for years to come.