A plaque honouring pioneering nurse Mary Seacole has been unveiled in Brixton.
It shows the limited edition stamp of Seacole, who cared for British soldiers during the Crimean War, that was released in 2006 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the National Portrait Gallery.
It is one of 50 plaques installed on postboxes across the UK to mark the 50th anniversary of Royal Mail’s special stamp programme.
Other stamps on postboxes include Winston Churchill, Robert Burns, the Giant’s Causeway, York Minster and Sherlock Holmes.
It features the only known painted portrait of Seacole who, in 1855, set up a “British Hotel” behind the lines during the Crimean War, looking after servicemen wounded on the battlefield. In 2004, she was voted the “greatest black Briton”.
The plaque is on the postbox outside 10 Acre Lane, chosen because relatives of Mary Seacole lived in the area.
Unveiling the plaque last week, Mayor of Lambeth Cllr Donatus Anyanwu said: “I am delighted that Royal Mail has chosen this unique way to recognise the incredible work of Mary Seacole, through a stamp plaque on a postbox in the area where her relatives lived. She was a pioneer in her field and this gives the community an opportunity to share in the tribute.”
