Blue Plaques - An international heritage signifier and our Johannesburg achievements - A talk by Kathy Munro.

During the last year Johannesburg Heritage installed over 20 blue plaques and in the coming year we are planning to celebrate 21 places of history and heritage with blue plaques.
 
This talk explores the history of Blue Plaques in Britain, Canada, Australia and South Africa. In Johannesburg we have embraced the idea of the blue plaque and its possibilities with pride and passion for over 30 years. We have Art Deco Blue Plaques, City Heritage, Struggle History, the Boer War trails. Blue Plaques celebrate people, places, architecture and events, mark history and spike curiosity. In less than 100 words Blue Plaques give a thumb nail explanation of the historical significance of a place.
 
Blue plaques stretch heritage conservation into previously neglected areas. There is an art in writing a Blue Plaque inscription. We maintain a register of Blue Plaques in Johannesburg. How did the Blue Plaque concept start? Why do Blue Plaques matter; how do we research blue plaques, how can we fund blue plaques? Sometimes we handle controversy - should The Blue Plaque only be for 60 year plus history, should all people celebrated have been deceased for 50 years , what happens when we get the facts wrong, can we learn lessons from elsewhere?

• Johannesburg Heritage Foundation AGM for 2019 
• Saturday 3rd August  2019 
• Northwards  at 2 pm , 21 Rockridge Road 
• Talk at 3 pm