Town & Gown: Investigating Commemorative Plaques in St. Andrews, Scotland
A brief note: this blog post investigates the commemorative plaque schemes and historical markers within St Andrews and the broader UK. It is important to bear in mind that other cultures have diverse attitudes, histories, and schemes associated with memorial-making.
Pummeled by the North Sea and protected by the remnants of its stronghold city gates, St Andrews’ compact site hides a sprawling, dimensional history that transcends a singular interpretation. It is a royal burgh, golfing mecca, medieval centre of pilgrimage, global leader in environmental sustainability, fishing port, crux of the Scottish Reformation, tourism hotspot, and home to an internationally acclaimed university for the past six hundred years. It undeniably has a rich heritage- but how can we assess that?
Classification of the world heritage presented by the UNESCO
How Do We Classify Heritage?
St Andrews presents a rich mine of tangible heritage, which can be classified as ‘immovable’ (historical monuments, architecture), or ‘movable’ (artifacts). Immovable tangible heritage is easily identified in St Andrews’ built environment with examples such as the Cathedral, Castle, St. Salvator’s Quad, etc. Moveable tangible heritage are items that are significant to the community and can be found in the university gowns, locally produced artwork, or fishing trade equipment.
Prominent too is St Andrews’ intangible heritage, which is the nonphysical intellectual wealth such as traditions, folklore, practices, beliefs, and language. This manifests itself through a myriad of events such as ceilidh dances, Saint Andrew’s Feast Day, and the torchlit pier walk.
In addition to both tangible and intangible heritage, the natural heritage of unparalleled vistas of St Andrews’ dramatic seaside is revered and cared for by its community. This triad of heritage: tangible, intangible, and natural, gives St Andrews a depth of character that few other places have. The local community continuously protects and fosters this motley collection of stories much like a curator interpreting a museum collection.
While the university’s red gown could be classified as (moveable) tangible heritage, the act of a student wearing it and partaking in this tradition can be understood as intangible heritage.
My British housemates introducing me to their traditional Christmastime trifle can be interpreted as the cross-cultural exchange of intangible heritage- delicious!
St. Salvator’s Quad is lovingly protected, maintained, and utilized by the university as a site of special significance. A classic example of (immovable) tangible heritage!
However, how does the local community share these interpretations of their identity and history with the public? Like a museum, St Andrews relies on labels to create a narrative, most commonly in the form of commemorative plaques around town. Yet if a passerby stops to take note of the various plaques, one might notice a dissonance between the forms, functions, and interpreters. Take a moment to look at the plaques included below:
From left to right:
Photo 1: Royal Society of Chemistry's blue plaque in honor of "Chemical structure of simple sugars, James Colquhoun Irvine and Thomas Purdie". Located at College Gate, St Andrews
Photo 2: Historic Scotland's plaque detailing the history of West Port, the best preserved city gate in Scotland. Located at the junction of South Street and Bridge Street, St Andrews
Photo 3: The Daughters of the American Revolution's permanent tribute to American scientist Benjamin Franklin. Located on the railings outside St Salvator's Chapel, North Street, St Andrews
Photo 4: Erected jointly by the St. Andrews Preservation Trust and the Wishart Society to commemorate the spot where George Wishart died. Located just outside the St Andrews Castle.
What similarities and differences might we take away from a quick examination of these four plaques?
These four are all using the built environment (immovable tangible heritage) to celebrate the legacies of men associated with the site.
Three plaques celebrate scientific/engineering innovation (Benjamin Franklin was awarded his honorary degree for his work on electricity).
All four plaques were produced by different organizations: the Royal Society of Chemistry, Historic Scotland, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the St Andrews Preservation Trust, and the Wishart Society. What aims did these organizations have, that they went through the time and expense of erecting these plaques? Where did this information come from, and is it accurate?
Who is the audience for these plaques? Based on the language, display, and design, are these all serving the same audience?
Where do commemorative plaques come from, anyway?
Restrictions on who can erect a commemorative plaque and where are few in the UK. As an example, in recent years a number of cultural groups and specialist organizations in London have started their own plaque schemes which have a national remit and offer a thematic approach to commemoration. Examples listed by English Heritage include the Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail, Directors Guild of Great Britain, The Heritage Foundation, Nubian Jak Community Trust, Institute of Physics, Institution of Civil Engineers, Railway Heritage Trust, Royal Aeronautical Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, Royal Television Society, and The Transport Trust.
Like museums labels, commemorative plaques are inherently subjective. They will reflect the interests and aims of the people, organizations, and community that erect them. As we should with any type of media we consume, we as an audience must think critically about the function, importance, location, and meaning of commemorative plaques.
Interested in learning more? For an inquiry-based strategy to assessing plaques, I highly recommend the article: Signs of the Times: Inquiry with Memorial Plaques. Historic Environment Scotland’s Commemorative Plaque Scheme Proposal Criteria, and English Heritage’s Guidance on Commemorative Plaques & Plaque Schemes. For an in-depth theoretical look into meaning-making, I’m a fan of Museums and the Interpretation of Visual Culture by Eilean Hooper-Greenhill.