Immortalised: The people loved, left and lost in our landscape

Immortalised

Memorials are as varied as the people they represent. Some are fixed in stone or bronze, and some are fleeting.

Some are celebrated, others neglected. Some are to those we are proud to commemorate, others to people we may sometimes want to forget.

From politicians to poets, from queens to fishwives, England's public spaces are adorned with statutes, plaques, street names and monuments commemorating those who connect us to past achievements and events.

Why do we remember?

Our public spaces are often dominated by representations of men on plinths.

But if you look around you, there are hundreds of thousands of memorials to people who capture the great diversity of society.

The way we commemorate people is as varied as the people themselves.

How do we live with our memorials?

Over time, memorials can blend into the background and the memory of those they commemorate fades.

But some memorials seem to have a special power. They become places of congregation in times of celebration or reverence.

They can be targets for anger or symbols of hope.

Who decides?

Decisions about memorials provoke strong feelings. Who is worthy of immortalisation, and who is overlooked? Who are the decision makers, and whose voices remain unheard?

Decisions that were once made behind closed doors have increasingly come out into the open, and so the story of immortalisation has become richer, deeper and more nuanced.

What do memorials mean today?

Memorials established centuries, decades or even just a few years ago can become the subject of protest as contemporary values, understanding and opinions change.

Is it ever right to remove monuments that ignite debate and allow us to confront the past?

How can we address the omissions by celebrating stories, people and groups that have, up to now, been forgotten or excluded?

Who do we want to remember and how?

Immortalisation has the power to help us reconcile with the past, to celebrate greatness in all its forms and to better understand who we are.

Who has been forgotten or excluded?

The National Heritage List for England includes more than 1,300 statues, 3,100 plaques and 10,300 stones commemorating people loved and lost across the country.

There are more than 100,000 war memorials in England.

There are fewer than 500 statues of historical, non-royal men.

Less than 4% of Blue Plaques honour Black and Asian people.

Less than 25% of statues in England are of women.