Plaque attack

SIR – Too many blue plaques, says Mike Read, head of the British Plaque Trust, who singles out Basingstoke in his attack (report, October 2).

In fact, Basingstoke Heritage Society has put up 22 blue plaques – the first in 1993, so not “eight years ago”, as Mr Read claims. None of them notes a former building, but all mark a person with a local connection and a link to our national history.

Basingstoke, Hampshire

SIR – At Hatton Wall, London EC1, a blue plaque records: “Here Hiram Maxim built and tested his machine-gun.”

Sandhurst, Berkshire

SIR – Blue plaques here in Walmer include a beach-front memorial to Lord Lister of antiseptic fame and one to Roget of thesaurus note.

Along the promenade are benches honouring local people, placed by their families. One, outside the library doors, says: “She read and she read and she read and now she’s dead.”

Walmer, Kent