| English Heritage Chairman, Lloyd Grossman, unveils a Blue Plaque outside the former home of Frank Hornby |
UNTIL 1998 Blue Plaques, designed to commemorate the home and birthplaces of famous people, were exclusively placed on properties of interest in London. The scheme was initiated in 1867 by the Royal Society of Arts when a plaque was erected at the birthplace of Byron, and by 1901, 36 plaques had been placed in the capital. Over a hundred years later, English Heritage, which took over responsibility for Blue Plaques in the 1980s, decided that Liverpool would be the first city outside London to erect Blue Plaques. The plan was announced to acknowledge 15 local figures with the famous circular ceramic plaque, 20 inches in diameter with white lettering on a blue background. The first 'recipients' were to be Frank Hornby, John Brodie, Bessie Braddock, Peter Ellis and John Lennon, with other names such as Wilfred Owen also on the list. Speaking about the decision to select Liverpool, Lloyd Grossman, English Heritage Commissioner and Chairman of the Blue Plaques Panel, said: "Liverpool was chosen by English Heritage in recognition of the achievements of its people who have made significant contributions in all walks of life - the arts, architecture, politics and industry. "Blue Plaques give a sense of civic pride to a local community as well as providing visitors with an insight into the culture and history of a city through the buildings which are associated with famous people." The 15 nominations were all made by local people. Frank Hornby (1863-1936). Toy manufacturer. Plaque at The Hollies, Station Road, Maghull, Liverpool, L31. Creator of Meccano and the Hornby train set, Frank Hornby was born in Liverpool in 1863. After leaving school at the age of 16, Hornby settled into work as a shipping clerk. Some 21 years into his employment he hit upon an idea that was to make him a millionaire and many millions of children extremely happy. While watching a small crane in a railway yard he decided that he wanted to make a working model of the crane for his sons by using strips of copper bolted together. The Meccano system was born when he decided to dismantle the elements of the crane to create another toy, and he decided to patent the idea in 1901. Soon after, the first constructional toy 'Mechanics Made Easy' appeared in Liverpool toy shops - the name Meccano was not officially adopted until 1907 as the popularity of the toy grew. Binns Road, Liverpool, became the site for the Meccano factory in 1914 when Meccano Limited went into mass production, making the sets for clients all over the world. The first Hornby model train sets, miniature replicas of British trains, followed in 1920. Originally clockwork, the engines and switching point on the track were replaced by electricity in 1925. In 1933 dinky toys were introduced. These miniature cars, lorries, trucks, motorcycles and farm machines are collector's items today. Frank Hornby died in 1936 when Meccano Ltd was at the height of its success employing more than 2,000 local people. John Brodie (1858-1934) City engineer and the inventor of the goal net. Plaque at 28, Ullet Road, Liverpool, L17. John Brodie, Liverpool City Engineer, was best known as the designer of the Mersey Tunnel but he was also a town planner and the inventor of the goal net, first used in a football match in 1890. The idea occurred to him while watching a match at Everton football ground in 1889 when a dispute erupted over whether the ball had passed through the goal posts or not. His net 'pocket', attached to the goal posts, was first used in a game between Nottingham Forest and Bolton Wanderers the following year and was an instant success. The FA soon made it compulsory. Between 1898 and 1926 Brodie served as a City Engineer in Liverpool and made several proposals for improving the city's roads, including the scheme for the inner ring road - Queen's Drive. A pioneer of prefabricated houses, he built prefabricated tenements in Eldon Street, Liverpool, and also lectured at Liverpool University on road design, traffic sanitation, hygiene and housing. But Brodie's greatest engineering achievement was undoubtedly the Mersey Tunnel completed in 1934 following nine years in the making. Brodie died that year aged 76. | 
