Blue plaques 2005 - the results

More than 9,200 of you voted in this year’s blue plaques campaign – our annual drive to celebrate the icons that have made Southwark the place it is today. Eight plaques were up for grabs this time, one for each community council area. Voting closed on September 2 and we can now reveal that the winners are:

Bermondsey – Peek Freans biscuit factory

Peek Freans brought employment to generations; invented the twiglet and gave Bermondsey the name Biscuit Town. Voter June Clark said: “How could you not give recognition for such a successful, credible company that offered a livelihood for so many working class [people] in south east London?". Read more about Peek Freans here.

Borough and Bankside – The Rose Theatre

Voting was neck and neck but you opted to celebrate the Rose, birthplace of Bankside’s Shakespearean theatre. Among the supporters was Sir Ian McKellen who said: “The remains of the building where Shakespeare and Marlowe learnt their craft deserve a plaque more than any other I can think of!".  Read more about the Rose here.

Camberwell – Marianne Jean-Baptiste

The locally-born Hollywood star and the first black British actress to be nominated for an Oscar is your choice for Camberwell. Director Mike Leigh lent his support to her nomination: "She was brilliant in Secrets and Lies, and a joy to work with. No daughter of Southwark better deserves a blue plaque." Read more about Marianne Jean-Baptiste here.

Dulwich – Phyllis Persall

You’ve awarded a plaque to the woman who created the London A to Z and walked 3,000 miles in the process. Her achievement struck a chord with voters including Ann Shuttleworth: “When I moved to London aged 18, I don't know how I would have managed to find anything without my A-Z.” Read more about Phyllis Pearsall here.

Nunhead and Peckham Rye – Una Marson

The first black programme maker at the BBC, Una Marson was a distinguished poet and playwright, secretary to Haile Selassie and the voice of Calling the West Indes during World War II. Her biographer Delia Jarrett-Macauley said: "For her mighty contribution to war-time broadcasting alone, Una deserves to be remembered and honoured.”  Read more about Una Marson here.

Peckham – Manze’s pie and mash shop

4,800 voters pledged their support for the celebrated pie and mash shop, making it our most popular nominee ever. For voters like Fran Eagan the shop is a real slice of heritage: “The one in Peckham opened in the same year my mum was born. She used to go there to get her jellied eels and was often given a few pie crusts free as they were so poor.”  Read more about Manze's pie shop here.

Rotherhithe – Richard Carr Gomm

2005 sees the 40th anniversary of the first Carr-Gomm home in Bermondsey, so it’s fitting that you’ve awarded its founder a blue plaque this year. After setting up the Abbeyfield society to help older people, Richard launched the Carr-Gomm Society offering housing and support to all ages. Votes for Richard came from as far a field as New Zealand, South Africa and Japan. Read more about Richard Carr-Gomm here.

Walworth – Charlie Chaplin

One of Southwark’s greatest icons, Charlie Chaplin receives a plaque this year. Voters from around the world emailed their support for Chaplin’s nomination, reinforcing his universal appeal. As one voter, Ann Fitzmaurice said, “He's an extraordinary comic genius who came from such poverty and deprivation and achieved so much.” Read more about Charlie Chaplin here.

The plaques will be installed over the next few months – check out these pages for more details. 

Nominate now for 2006

To nominate for 2006 email vote4icons@southwark.gov.uk.