A local historian says more should be done to celebrate Waltham Forest’s industrial heritage.

Lindsay Collier, chairman of the Lea Valley Heritage Alliance, says he has been pushing Waltham Forest Council to install commemorative plaques for years but has “got nowhere”.

He says Waltham Forest, which was named the first ‘borough of culture’ by the Mayor of London in 2019, was home to the “second Industrial Revolution”.

Lindsay said the council needed to “push the importance of Lea Valley” and its role in the production of goods, from tissue paper to the first ironclad warship, the HMS Warrior.

Lea Valley is also the birthplace of the diode valve, which allows currents to travel in just one direction while blocking them from going the other way.

Lindsay described the 1904 invention as having “changed the world into what we know it as today”.

In 2020, he said it was a “travesty” it had received little official recognition in the borough.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he had approached the council numerous times about plaques commemorating Waltham Forest’s industrial history, but the authority “did not seem interested”.

He said: “Barring shipbuilding, it is the home of British transport. There are heritage plaques all over the borough for all sorts of things so you just think, what is going on?

“It’s such a wonderful opportunity. Any other borough would celebrate it. You would have thought they would be interested, but they just don’t seem to be.”

Though English Heritage is responsible for the iconic blue plaques that appear across London, councils can install their own.

In 2017, the council suggested installing a plaque in Hookers Lane in recognition of the Associated Equipment Company bus factory, which served the capital. No plaque has yet been put up.

Lindsay described the apparent lack of progress as “frustrating”.

Cllr Rosalind Doré, cabinet member for culture, said: “When we look to install a plaque to commemorate a significant person or event, we must work with the property owner and neighbours to make sure they are happy with the proposal.

“We cannot install plaques on private property without express permission of the owner.”

Many are already in place across Waltham Forest, paying homage to such institutions as Small Wonder Records, which released the debut albums of bands like The Cure and Bauhaus; Lea Bridge Stadium, home to Clapton Orient FC; and the birthplace of film director Alfred Hitchcock.

The council is also working to update its policies on plaques to help residents suggest sites to commemorate. It is expected to be finalised by spring 2025.

Cllr Doré also pointed to the council adding 93 new buildings to its Local Heritage List, which were nominated by residents “because of their importance and value to the community”.

Those buildings included Mornington Hall, a theatre in Chingford; Kali Amman Hindu Temple, in Forest Road; and Wood Street Market, a collection of independent shops housed in a former cinema.

In a statement, the Labour councillor said: “We are lucky to have such a rich industrial heritage in Waltham Forest, and we work closely with a variety of local community groups and organisations to protect it for generations to come.

“I am personally a trustee at the Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum, and at the heart of the nearby Walthamstow Wetlands is the beautiful Victorian-era engine room that now serves as a visitor centre and café.”

She added: “The Vestry House Museum, which is currently undergoing improvements to make it more accessible, is the permanent home of the Bremer car, Britain’s first-ever car with an internal combustion engine.

“A few yards away on Church Hill Road is a monument to John Kemp Starley, who invented the modern safety bicycle.

“In May this year, we joined the Highams Park Planning Group and Network Rail to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the railway coming through Highams Park. We are proud to honour this legacy.”

Historical milestones in the borough include the first British battery-powered vehicle was a tram constructed in Leytonstone in 1882. The Victoria line, serving Walthamstow Central and Blackhorse Road, was the world’s first fully automatic underground railway when it opened in 1968.

And in 1909, Edwin Alliott Verdon Roe became the first Englishman to successfully fly an all-British-built aircraft in Walthamstow Marshes.