Alistair Hardaker
Image: Wilbert Awdry. © Alamy / PA Images.
The plaque, unveiled on the anniversary of the late author’s first book, is the first to be unveiled after a nomination from the public
Historic England has today unveiled a national blue plaque to late children’s book author and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, Reverend Wilbert Awdry, at his former home in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
The plaque is the first national blue plaque to be unveiled that has been nominated by a member of the public, who submitted the nomination in 2024.
Historic England’s Chief Executive Duncan Wilson unveiled the plaque 80 years after the publication of the author’s first book “The Three Railway Engines”.
“Loved around the world, it’s an honour to remember Reverend Awdry and the happiness he brought to so many childhoods”, said Wilson.
“The early books, which would become The Railway Series, laid the foundation for a global phenomenon, based on the magic of the steam train which has appealed to all ages down the generations.”
Veronica Chambers, Reverend Awdry’s daughter, said: “It’s wonderful that the national blue plaque has been installed at 30 Rodborough Avenue, his home for so many years after he retired as a parish priest.”
The author died in Rodborough on 21 March 1997, aged 85, the year after he received an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List.
