CAMPAIGNERS are calling on council and business chiefs to make the most of the city's rich history by using plaques to greater effect.

There are a handful of commemorative plaques scattered around the city.

But Nottingham Civic Society, the organisation which aims to safeguard the city's heritage, believes many of them are in obscure places and are poorly maintained.

Hilary Silvester, chairman of Nottingham Civic Society, said: "There is a green plaque on a former Hockley Methodist Chapel, which was opened by John Wesley, the person who started the Methodist Church.

"But it is about 20 to 25ft up on the gable and you can't read it unless you have pair of binoculars. It's pointless.

"There is also one about Lord Byron at the top of Victoria Street that is very high up and difficult to read.

"And there is one on the Castle that says something like 'near this site Charles I raised his standards at the start of the Civil War.' It is a big event in Nottingham's history, but unless you are really looking for it, it doesn't leap out at you."

Mrs Silvester said more people would take a pride in the city if the plaques were prominent.

And she said there were compelling cases to be made for a series of new ones.

"Jesse Boot, for example – I don't think there is anything on his first shop in Goose Gate.

"They could have one on the Primark shop in Long Row about the Black Boy Hotel, which was a very famous Watson Fothergill building that was pulled down.

"It would be good to have one on Low Pavement, near Marks & Spencer, where there is a building that used to be the Assembly Rooms, where people like Liszt and Johann Strauss played.

"And there should be one somewhere on the Arkwright building to say DH Lawrence went to university there, when it was University College Nottingham."

Mrs Silvester said other cities were much more adept at using plaques to promote themselves and draw in tourists.

"I was in Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago and they have plaques all over the place telling you about the places and what is of interest," she said.

"I think there are a lot of people interested in Nottingham but there is not enough information out there.

"Some cities have plaque trails. Torquay, for instance, publishes leaflets about the person or place, the history and where to find the plaque. It also tells you where to go to find something similar.

"I think we have got enough important people and places in Nottingham to put up some plaques."

Mrs Silvester said the cost of creating, engraving and putting up a plaque was relatively low, if it enhances the visitor experience.

If costs were too great for the council, businesses could be asked to sponsor them, she said.

Nottingham Civic Society vice-chairman Ken Brand said he recently led a tour of the city when members of Leeds Civic Trust visited and he was "embarrassed" at the condition of its plaques.

"They were in a shocking state,"he said.

"I was embarrassed at them having to gaze at something that was not top class.

"There is one in the middle of Castle Gate and neglect has made it an eyesore."

Behind the left lion at the Council House, another plaque commemorating the foundation stone-laying is splattered with bird excrement.

And he said a cast iron information stand at the bottom of Low Pavement, was in a "disgusting" state, with various stains on it.

"You can't turn your back on them once they go up. They need maintaining," he said.

Coun Alan Clark, portfolio holder for neighbourhood transformation, said the city council and the Civic Society met regularly to keep abreast of developments and ideas of mutual interest.

"We would be very keen to look at the ideas for plaques to promote Nottingham's heritage and history and look at how we can get more appreciation and understanding of our proud past as a city," he said.

"For the same reasons, the city council is always keen to see plaques and commemorative stones retained on buildings that change hands or are redeveloped but we have no powers to ensure that they remain in place or to maintain signs on private property.

"There are also national rules covering Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas that can preclude any additions to the stonework.

That, he said, includes commemorative plaques. "They also cover how buildings are cleaned. We regularly wipe down the Council House lions and the plaque on the wall behind, and have had meetings on the site with English Heritage to look at the best ways of keeping them clean.

"But it is very difficult to remove all the residue without using abrasive cleaners, and that is not permissible."

Anyone with suggestions for plaques can e-mail hilarysilvester2002@yahoo.co.uk.