New blue plaques are celebrating the extraordinary lives and achievements of Una Marson, the BBC’s first Black woman producer, and Rhoda and Agnes Garrett, who founded Britain’s first female-run interior-decorating business.

Marson (1905–1965) was a trailblazing Jamaican poet, playwright, broadcaster, and campaigner for racial and gender equality. As the first Black woman to be employed as a BBC programme producer, she spearheaded a wave of change in British broadcasting, conceiving and making iconic radio programmes such as Calling the West Indies, which connected Caribbean servicemen in Britain with their families back home, and Caribbean Voices, which became a vital platform for emerging Caribbean writers.

Marson’s plaque will mark The Mansions, Mill Lane in West Hampstead, where she lived from at least 1939 to 1943, the period in which she began her groundbreaking work with the BBC.

Rhoda Garrett (1841–1882) and Agnes Garrett (1845–1935) founded Britain’s first female-run interior decorating business, challenging traditional gender roles of the 1870s and transforming Victorian interiors through blending artistic craftsmanship with functionality. Their 1876 book Suggestions for House Decoration in Painting, Woodwork and Furniture influenced tastes in home design for years to come. They were also active members of the National Society for Women’s Suffrage, which championed women’s rights.

The Garretts’ plaque will mark 2 Gower Street in Bloomsbury, where they cousins founded their interior-decorating business.

Howard Spencer, Senior Historian at English Heritage, said:

“Una Marson was a true pioneer, breaking barriers, making an important wartime contribution and forging new paths for Black women in Britain and beyond. This blue plaque is a well-deserved recognition of her extraordinary contributions to broadcasting, literature, and social justice. Her legacy serves as an inspiration to all who strive for a more just and inclusive world.

“Rhoda and Agnes Garrett’s designs were characterised by attention to craftsmanship, harmonious colour schemes, and practical elegance. Their influence helped to establish interior design as a professional field, and one in which women could thrive. The new plaque at 2 Gower Street celebrates that enduring legacy, marking a site that served as a hub for artistic innovation and feminist activism.”