Since 2009, the Beeston and District Civic Society has installed 35 plaques to commemorate figures who are important to the local area. Despite this large number, every single one of these plaques honored a man. In January, this tradition was broken when the first ever plaque honoring a woman was unveiled. We spoke to Tamar Feast to find out the origins of the Beeston’s Lady Plaques initiative and what this could mean for the way we understand and commemorate historical figures in the future.
How do we remember history, and who actually gets to tell our stories? These are a few key questions that initially drove the Lady Plaque initiative, which is about more than just recognising women’s contributions - it’s about reshaping the way we look at our community history. Lady Plaques is part of a larger movement to challenge traditional narratives, make historical recognition more inclusive - not just focusing on the scope of women but also beyond that - and inspire future generations to take an interest in local history.
Tamar was not alone in noticing this pattern - a pattern which had reserved the plaques for very similar looking men with property.
Tamar Feast is a graphic designer, creative planting designer and wildlife gardener, based in Beeston. She’s also one of the key figures behind Beeston’s Lady Plaques. She explained how the idea came to her in 2019, when she then started a campaign on International Women’s Day to try and receive nominations for women, local to the area of Beeston, who could then have a plaque commemorating them. Indeed, Tamar was not alone in noticing this pattern - a pattern which had reserved the plaques for very similar looking men with property. Tamar recalls leading guided walks for the Civic Society, where participants frequently noticed the absence of women among the plaques.
After the campaign launched, the next step was to compile a list of notable women to be recognised, but it proved more challenging than was expected. “Women’s contributions to history are often less documented,” Tamar reminded me, which made gathering information significantly harder. She pointed out other challenges, like women’s historical lack of autonomy, which has shaped the way we understand the past. For example, while men’s property records or credit scores provide tangible evidence, women often left fewer formal traces, making it more difficult to trace their contributions.
It is important to recognise that although it would be simple for the criteria to simply be ‘women’, there are other requirements in the mix from Historic England: the person must have been dead for twenty years, have made a significant contribution both locally and nationally.
Still, there were women to be found. The first Lady Plaque was dedicated to Eleanor Littlewood MBE, a trailblazer in local politics. Born in 1879, she became Beeston’s first female council chairwoman, served as chair of the Beeston committee for five years, and was the first female overseer of the county at age 37. Her plaque was unveiled at Manor Lodge on Middle Street, a location closely tied to her legacy.
The second plaque, currently in progress, will honor Nan Green, a Beeston-born humanitarian and political activist. Green was a key figure in improving British hospital care, particularly during and after the Spanish Civil War. She was known for her medical aid campaigns in Spain and China, but while her work is recognised internationally, her contributions had remained largely uncelebrated in Beeston - until now. For more information on the Lady Plaques, head over to the Beeston Civic Society website where they have provided a concise outline.
As mentioned, there is a stark difference when it comes to obtaining information on historical men versus women. Tamar speaks very honestly about the fact that the Civic Society does not consist of professional historians, which resulted in a research approach based on trial and error. Tamar and her team tapped into various sources including: Nottingham Archives, local newspapers, and historical catalogues. Fortunately, partnerships with organisations, such as Nottingham Women’s History, provided crucial support.
Beyond the challenges when it came to research, logistical hurdles also emerged, such as approval from property owners for the plaque installations. However, this is an issue which was promptly met with a solution as plaques had the power to increase property value, thus providing an incentive for property owners.
Looking ahead, Tamar envisions the Lady Plaques project expanding to honour a broader range of women. With social media platforms such as TikTok already being used as real-time historical records, she hopes to see greater engagement from younger generations. Tapping into the potential of social media could not only spark interest and encourage nominations, but also offer people new ways to engage with the past, helping to make history feel immediate and personal, rather than distant and forgotten.
Public involvement is also crucial: by inspiring locals to research and recognise women from their own communities, the initiative can grow organically and ensure that hidden histories come to light. Tamar also recognises how including women in these conversations has the ability to diversify the plaques on a larger scale, such as including people from BIPOC communities.
Ultimately, Lady Plaques is about more than just Beeston and is rather part of a much larger conversation about representation and historical memory. By putting a spotlight on those who have been overlooked, the project challenges long-standing biases in how history is recorded and remembered. The goal is not just to add women to the historical narrative, but to change the way history is told altogether.
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