Blue Plaque Judges 2003The final shortlist of 50 was compiled by a panel of five judges.
They looked at the nominations we received by email and post and drew on their experience, specialist knowledge and judgement to select the 50 they believed were most worthy of a People's plaque.
It wasn't easy, and there were inevitable disputes, but the panel was committed to coming up with a final list so the voting could start.
The polls are now closed.
The judges were:
Kevin Quinn
Born and brought up in Bermondsey, 26-year-old Kevin joined Southwark News five years ago as a reporter – and he loved it so much he bought the company! He now edits the independent paper with his business partner Chris Mullany.
Kevin approached the council with the idea for blue plaques because the paper was getting such enormous feedback from its weekly history pages. Readers started asking for Southwark’s heritage to be better celebrated and the idea for blue plaques started to take shape.
Southwark News sees the scheme as the tip of the iceberg and has grand ideas for future projects based on history and heritage. Kevin is particularly keen to promote history through tourism and education.
He will be using his extensive knowledge of the area and its past to help the panel draw up a representative list of 50.
Stephen Douglass
Stephen Douglass runs Southwark Council’s Culture and Heritage service which includes the Cuming Museum,Livesey Museum for Children, South London Gallery,Local Studies Library and archives.
He came to Southwark in 1999 from Hertfordshire where he worked in the museums and arts service. He was attracted to the borough because of its rich heritage and thriving cultural sector and by the opportunity to develop and improve access to culture, the arts and heritage in Southwark.
He has a BA in social anthropology from Manchester University and a Masters from Nottingham in Archaeology.
He chairs the London Museums Agency and is a member of both London’s Museums, Archives and Libraries Executive Group and Cultural Partners for London.
Professor Lola Young OBE
Lola Young is Head of Culture at the Greater London Authority. Prior to that, she was Professor of Cultural Studies at Middlesex University. During the last three years of her time at Middlesex, Professor Young was seconded to work as Project Director at the Archives and Museum of Black Heritage, a Heritage Lottery Funded initiative.
Before becoming an academic Professor Young worked as an actor for 8 years, performing in various repertory theatres around the country. She subsequently moved into arts development, promoting black arts and culture, advising the Arts Council on numerous occasions on cultural diversity issues: she has also advised the BBC on black representation on and off screen. Public appointments, and committee responsibilities include membership of English Heritage’s Blue Plaques Committee, membership of the board of the Royal National Theatre and the board of Governors of Middlesex University: she was formerly Chair of the Arts Council's Cultural Diversity Panel, and has been on the board of Resource: the Council of Museums, Archives and Libraries, and a commissioner on the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. She has written and broadcast widely on television and radio, reviewing plays and films, and chaired the judging panel of the Orange Prize for Fiction. Author of numerous academic essays and articles, her book, Fear of the Dark: 'Race', Gender and Sexuality in Cinema is published by Routledge. She was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List in 2000.
Veronica Alden
Veronica Alden is membership secretary and fundraiser of the Southwark Heritage Association and a libertarian of Old Southwark. Along with fellow members, Veronica has long campaigned to save Southwark’s rich heritage. Veronica is the third generation of her family to be born, bred and live in East Dulwich. She runs the Pool of London and Southwark Heritage Centre in Hay's Galleria at London Bridge. She and co-director, Fred Sage also run training providers Mayflower 1620 Ltd. As part of that organisation Veronica set up the Southwark Young Pilgrims, a group which is not only a first in Southwark but in the country.
The group is made up of 14-16-year-olds who act as ambassadors of the borough, directing visitors to places of interest and handing out sponsors’ leaflets. The Southwark Young Pilgrims have worked in Southwark for the past five years. Last summer they dealt with 13,000 visitors in just five weeks!
Working from 10am to 3pm the Young Pilgrims usually greet visitors outside London Bridge and at Shakespeare’s Globe. They open up the wide range of attractions available in the area to visitors and prove that there is a lot to do once you have crossed the bridge from the City! Young Pilgrims are given training for the first of the six-week course and then have to pass a short exam to ensure they are knowledgeable. They are paid a nominal amount for the hard work they do.
Connie Roche
Sixteen-year-old Connie is a Young Pilgrim who has proved her interest in the borough’s heritage and the places, people and events that are most enjoyed by Southwark visitors.
She lives in East Dulwich and attends St Michael’s RC School in Bermondsey where, unsurprisingly, History is her favourite subject. She works hard as a Young Pilgrim and even harder as a GCSE student. Her contribution and those of other Young Pilgrims will be essential in fuelling debate and enthusiasm about our heritage in Southwark’s schools.
|