Written by Ryan, on behalf of Royston Scaffolding
Royston is a small town with a big story to tell, and its history is written not just in its beautiful architecture but also in the blue plaques telling of historic local events.
The Blue Plaques in Royston are all thanks to the late Cllr F John Smith, an avid Roystonian and historian. Inspired by the London blue plaques which started to appear before WWII, he approached Royston Town Council with the idea in 1991. He was delighted when RTC gave consent to use the town crest of the Royston Crow on the plaques, and they agreed to administer the scheme. Plaques are funded by the building owners.
Many of the blue plaques are related to King James I (and the gunpowder plot!), but there are many others commemorating different historical events related to the town.
The Listing was approached by Ryan, who on behalf of Royston Scaffolding, has trekked across the town in search of them all! He thinks he’s found them all and believes there are 30 blue plaques in Royston. The project came about because, as local scaffolders, Royston Scaffolding have had the privilege of working on some of the town’s most iconic and historic sites, and being proud locals, these plaques are a great reminder to what a historical little town this is.
We are delighted to publish Ryan’s hard work here, and we plan to picture the plaques in future issues of The Listing.
Royston Blue Plaques
Banyer’s Lodge
Old Police Station
Royal Servants
The King’s Paradise
Palace of King James I
The King’s Buttery
The Guard House
The Equerries
The Crown & Dolphin
The Prince’s Lodging
Royston Cave
The Banyers Hotel
Royston Town Hall
Stadtepartnerschaft
Priory Memorial Gardens
Old Magistrates’ Court
Whitehall
Greenlawns
The Market Hill Rooms
Priory Gates
The Old Courthouse
The White Hart
The Plough
The Bull Hotel
The Masonic Hall
The Old Post Office
“Willie” Stephenson
Capt. Harold Ackroyd
Johnson Matthey
The Cardinal’s Hat
You can read a detailed history behind each of the blue plaques in F John Smith’s book “The Blue Plaques of Royston”, published by Royston and District Local History Society, which is available to borrow from Royston Library
To view the map and plaques online, visit: www.roystonscaffolding.com/blog/royston-blue-plaques-map
Why not print out the map and take your own self-guided tour around Royston’s history! Blue Plaque Map
