Actress Margaret Rutherford, London’s first black mayor and rock band The Who are some of the people celebrated in the council’s new Green Plaque scheme.

The scheme will commemorate famous or historically important people or places in the borough of Wandsworth and will complement the existing English Heritage Blue Plaque scheme. The council’s plaques will be in the familiar Wandsworth green.

The first plaque, of former prime minister Clement Attlee, will be unveiled during the first-ever Wandsworth Heritage Festival, which runs throughout June.

His plaque will be unveiled at 11am on June 26 at the site of his former home in Portinscale Road, Putney.

An independent panel made up of three councillors and one representative each from the Wandsworth Historical Society and the Local Strategic Partnership drew up the list of potential plaques. They also considered nominations from the public. 

People and places to be commemorated include the Clapham Sect, who worked to abolish the Slave Trade in the British Empire, film and stage actress Margaret Rutherford, London’s first black mayor John Archer, Tibbett's Corner where many notorious highwaymen were hanged, and Ramport Studios, where The Who recorded some of their most famous albums

Executive member for environment and leisure, Cllr Sarah McDermott, said:
“We’re very proud of our borough and its rich history, and this simple and effective scheme is a way of providing a lasting tribute to people and places of historical importance.”

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