The flying bomb plaque under the railway bridge under Grove Road. Pic: Tarquin Binary.

Which part of Tower Hamlets’ vibrant history would you like to see marked and remembered for generations to come? ELL and Tower Hamlets People’s Plaque Scheme want to know!

Nominations for historical people, places or events deserving to be commemorated with one of seven new plaques closes this Sunday November 3.

A blue plaque celebrates an areas’ heritage, paying tribute to famous figures and the buildings in which they lived or worked. Many can already be seen adorning the streets of Tower Hamlets.

One that hangs below a railway bridge in Bow remembers the spot where the first flying bomb fell on London during World War Two, back when Tower Hamlet’s docks, railways and industries made the area a prime target.

Another honours Thomas Foxwell Burton, an anti-slavery campaigner who lived and worked in the area.

But Cabinet member for culture, Councillor Rania Kahn reminds us that “history is not just made by famous and powerful people,” but “by ordinary people” as well.

She says the Tower Hamlets People’s Plaque Scheme wants to “give ownership of the process” to people in the borough through their nominations and votes.

Blue plaques in the area were previously controlled by a national scheme that is now closed to proposals due to government funding cuts.

The new local scheme, launched by Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman as part of a £4,000 budget amendment to acknowledge the importance of the area’s history, gives local people a chance to leave their own legacy on the borough.

The new winners of the People’s Plaque’s will be marked by different coloured plaques to distinguish from them from the English Heritage plaques already in place.

Mayor Rahman said: “The nature of the scheme means that every resident’s voice is significant.

“Anyone can nominate a person, place or event that is specifically important to them whilst celebrating our distinctive and fascinating history.”

Nominations close on November, 3, after which they will be shortlisted and put to the public vote.

We’d like to hear your ideas! Tweet us @eastlondonlines to let us know what you would like to see on a plaque and why.

But don’t forget to make your official nomination before time runs out by submitting online or picking up a nomination form from any idea store or library in the borough.

For more info visit: www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/peoplesplaques or email: peoples.plaques@towerhamlets.gov.uk