CELEBRATE STALBANS' SIGNIFICANT MEN & WOMEN

Blue Plaques St Albans (BPSA) is a voluntary body that installs blue plaques on the relevant buildings to celebrate the significant men and women who lived or worked in the city of St Albans. These plaques serve as a reminder of the city's rich history and cultural heritage. We have now installed 13 blue plaques and there are many more to come. If you would like to support our cause, you can donate by contacting BPSA.

NEWS

Blue Plaques Trail Leaflet

Photo: Tim Boatswain, Chair of BPSA, Jo Kelly-Moore, Dean of St Albans Cathedral and Jamie Day, Mayor of St Albans

On Monday 16th December, Blue Plaques St Albans launched the Blue Plaques Trail Leaflet

BPSA has now installed 14 plaques commemorating men and women who have significantly contributed to the city. Thanks to the sponsorship of St Albans City Centre Business Improvement District we have now been able to produce a leaflet that takes you on a trail around the blue plaques sites. The launch of the leaflet provided an opportunity to thank those volunteers who have contributed to the Blue Plaques scheme. We were delighted, despite this busy time, that the Mayor, Cllr Jamie Day, and the Dean of St Albans Cathedral, Jo Kelly-Moore, were able to attend. Thanks to the generosity of Marc and Sophie Trinder the launch took place at their salon on George Street.

The Blue Plaques Trail leaflet can be found in The Museum+Gallery, The Cathedral, St Albans Library and other places

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Tree planted to honour pioneering woman Betty Entwistle

Photos: above, Cllr Taylor, far right, Prof Boatswain, 2nd from right, and guests at the tree planting ceremony including staff of Watford Community Housing Trust which purchased all the development’s 93 flats

A tree has been planted at a prestigious St Albans City Centre development in honour of pioneering local government officer Betty Entwistle.

Betty was England’s first female town clerk and the first chief executive of St Albans City and District Council (SADC).

A blue plaque tribute to her was unveiled at the Council’s former offices – now the Saint & Sinner pub – earlier this year.

Now a tree has been planted at a new landscaped walkway at Jubilee Square, a £64 million SADC development that includes social housing, shared ownership properties and commercial space.

The tree, donated by local firm Aylett Nurseries, is a Flowering Dogwood that should grow to a height of around 8ft in the next ten years and blossom every spring.

Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Lead for Housing, Amanda Foley, SADC’s Chief Executive, and Professor Tim Boatswain, Chairman of St Albans Blue Plaques, were among those who attended the ceremony.

Cllr Taylor said: “Betty was a trailblazer as a woman and an important figure in the history of local government.

“I like to think she would have been proud of our Jubilee Square development which includes 33 social housing properties and is providing new homes for dozens of people.

“A tree in the centre of the walkway, in sight of our current Council offices, is a perfect way of paying tribute to this formidable woman.”

Prof Boatswain said: “I hit upon the idea of a tree when spotting a photograph of the sheltered accommodation block in Holyrood Cresccent that was named after her. It included a tree that had been planted in her honour.

“That block has since been demolished and replaced and the tree has also gone. It occurred to me that it would be appropriate to plant another tree in her memory at this new Council development.

“The St Albans community owes Betty a lot. She was an amazing role model, very energetic and associated with many different causes. The tree will be a reminder of all her good works.”

Betty was born in Lancashire in 1912 and moved to St Albans in 1939 for a job as a legal assistant at St Albans City Council.

She had several promotions before being appointed town clerk in 1960 and became chief executive of St Albans City and District Council when it was formed in 1973 during local government reorganisation.

During her tenure, she conducted the ceremony when the Queen Mother was given the freedom of the city in 1961

She was active in local arts and conservation societies and died at her St Albans home in 1975.

Photos: above, Cllr Taylor, far right, Prof Boatswain, 2nd from right, and guests at the tree planting ceremony including staff of Watford Community Housing Trust which purchased all the development’s 93 flats; below, Cllr Taylor with Amanda Foley, SADC’s Chief Executive; Cllr Taylor and Prof Boatswain with Jenny Stenzel, the Council’s Project Manager; the plaque beside the tree.

Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.

Start Now

At 1pm Friday 25th October, a blue plaque commemorating Frederic Kitton was installed on the building he saved from demolition, 13-15 Market Place, known as The Gables and now where Anthropologie has a shop. The plaque was officially installed by the guest of honour, the Mayor of St Albans, Cllr Jamie Day. Welcomed by the Town Cryer, Steve Potter, Tim Boatswain, Chair of BPSA introduced the 14th Blue Plaque in the series. Robert Pankhurst Vice-Chair then gave an outline of Frederic's contribution to St Albans which was followed by the Mayor congratulating and thanking BPSA.

Frederic Kitton was a prolific writer, illustrator, expert on Dickens and conservation campaigner. He loved St Albans and recorded the ancient and medieval buildings of the city at a time when many were being demolished for redevelopment. When he learnt that the chemists, Boots, at that time the owner of the Gables, wanted to demolish the building he campaigned to save it and started a petition, which saved this beautiful building. Kitton died in 1904 at the age of 48 years when surgery failed to heal a gastric problem. He was given a grand uneral service at St Albans Cathedral and buried in Hatfield Road Cemetery.

Many thanks to Andy Lawrence for this video.

You may spot Robert's mistake: when he mentions Frederic Kitton being an expert on Charles Darwin, of course, he meant Charles Dickens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOek7GjnCMg

©Snjezana Boatswain

Courtesy of St Albans Museums

Still Looking for an Offer

I am looking for a venue, which could be offered for free, for a funding-raising talk for Blue Plaques St Albans on E.R.Hughes 'the last' of the Pre-Raphaelite artists.

A blue plaque was installed to E.R.Hughes on 22 July 2023 - it was a very wet ceremony!

BPSA held an event at St Peter's Church on Thursday 8th August. The occasion was an opportunity to celebrate the Civic Society Award and thank donors who have made the BPSA scheme possible

Photo: courtesy of Harry Kinsley

Tim Boatswain & Jo Kelly-Moore

Margaret Wix, courtesy St Albans Museums

On 24th July, the Blue Plaque commemorating Margaret Wix, the first woman Mayor of St Albans, was installed on 40 Holywell Hill by the Dean of St Albans Cathedral, Jo Kelly-Moore

Video of the installation ceremony, courtesy Andy Lawrence: https://youtu.be/Jlvr-7r01E0

Good news: work has started on Samuel Ryder's Exhibition Hall (ex-Cafe Rouge) Holywell Hill - then a blue plaque for the great man!

St Albans' Mayor, Cllr Anthony Rowlands, installs a blue plaque commemorating 'the orchid king', Fredrick Sander, attended by his descendants

Good news: a tree will be planted in Jubilee Square in remembrance of Betty Entwistle, St Albans' first female Town Clerk and CEO. Back in 2017 a tree, which had been planted outside sheltered housing, named after Betty (see photo,), was felled to make way for a new building. When Blue Plaques St Albans installed a plaque to Betty Entwistle on the Grange (now the Saint & Sinner pub) it was suggested that the Council should replace the tree, so I am delighted this has now been agreed.

Last night (16/06/2024) Blue Plaques St Albans (BPSA) organised a fund-raising event to commemorate Dr Nathaniel Cotton (1706-1788), a pioneer in the field of mental health. After a short introduction to the life of Cotton by Prof Tim boatswain, Dr Florian Ruths, a practising psychiatrist specializing in Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CBT), gave an engaging and fascinating talk on the evolution of the treatment of mental illness.

Many thanks to Dr Ruths, who waived his fee, and to St Peter's Church who provided the venue for no charge.

Finally, a big thanks to the members of the public (50+), who attended and donated over £400 to BPSA, which will go to the next blue plaque to be installed in St Albans.

Congratulations! St Albans Blue Plaques has won the Public Realm category at the Civic Society Awards evening (21/5/24): The scheme, by celebrating St Albans' historical figures has enhanced the heritage of the city and has "been met with delight and widespread support".

LATEST BLUE PLAQUE

Tim Boatswain, Chair of BPSA,The Mayor, Cllr Anthony Rowlands, Laurence Worms and Headmaster of St Albans School, Jonathan Gillespie (photo Leah Renz)

At 10.45 am on Tuesday 30th April, a blue plaque commemorating the life of Thomas Kitchin was installed at 7 Fishpool Street, St Albans, which was once his home and is now St Albans School Headmaster’s house. A reception took place in the School attended by the Mayor, Cllr Anthony Rowlands, and the Headmaster, Jonathan Gillespie.

Prof Tim Boatswain said:

Thomas Kitchin is perhaps little known but was, in fact, a prolific and exceptionally talented engraver, who produced hundreds of maps during his 18th century lifetime. Last year, hosted by St Albans & Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society, Laurence Worms, an expert on Kitchin, gave a fascinating talk on the engraver and map-maker’s career. Blue Plaques St Albans are very grateful both to him and all those who subscribed to his talk as his and their fees paid for the blue plaque. I also wish to thank St Albans School and the Headmaster, Jonathan Gillespie, for not only giving permission for the plaque to be installed but also for the splendid reception that awaited the attendees of the installation

Peter Sander talks about his Great-Grandfather Frederick Sander

April 13th Thanks to all those who attended Peter Sander's talk on Saturday on his great-grandfather Frederick Sander, 'The Orchid King', in the Lady Chapel. It was a fascinating talk which mixed family history with an account of the 'orchid mania' that gripped Europe and America before World War I.

Last summer a blue plaque to Frederick was installed in George Street. The fees from Peter's talk will fund more blue plaques.

Tim Boatswain with Peter Sander

Pleased to see our blue plaques get a mention in The Times:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4e325850-cb8c-4b58-b902-d34ca3ce23b2?shareToken=dc32ae29c4b9f7b9d44e8608ce2191cd

Sixteen descendants of Frederick Sander with the Mayor, Cllr Anthony Rowlands attend the installation of the Blue Plaque in George Street

Saturday 13 April 1 pm:

Thanks to all those who attended Peter Sander's talk on Saturday on his great-grandfather Frederick Sander, 'The Orchid King', in the Lady Chapel. It was a fascinating talk which mixed family history with an account of the 'orchid mania' that gripped Europe and America before World War I. The fees from Peter's talk will fund more blue plaques.