A PLAQUE to a son killed by an icicle in 1776, the mural to Robert and David Mushet — the iron and steel innovators, and the Radstock Pit Wheel mining memorial, are among the many memorials nominated by the public in response to a call-out by Historic England to find the secret and lesser-known murals, statues and tributes in the South West.

The search was carried out as part of Historic England’s Immortalised season, which aims to help people explore the country’s memorial landscape — who is reflected, who is missing, and why. Monuments and statues are under increasing scrutiny as debates grow about why there are so few women and minorities among our statues. As part of Immortalised, Historic England is organising a debate and public participation to explore who and what will be remembered in our public spaces, and how we and future generations will commemorate.

People from across the South West submitted photographs and stories of memorials, locally known and loved, but others that have almost been forgotten. A selection will be unveiled in the Immortalised exhibition which will open in London on Thursday, August 30. On the back of the nominations, two memorials in the South West have been listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England.

As well as showcasing some of England’s local monuments, street shrines and community tributes, Immortalised: The People Loved, Left and Lost in our Landscape explores the variety of ways people and events have been commemorated in England, past and present. Stories of immortalisation, from the heroic and sad, to the quirky, inspirational and challenging, are told through photographs, archival material and individual objects presented in an immersive way that gives life and voice to the monuments and memorials on show.

The exhibition also looks at who we have chosen to memorialise in the past, and why, and highlights the well-documented lack of women, working class people and people of colour in England’s memorial landscape. Also on display are the winning designs of a national competition that asked artists, architects and designers to explore and visualise what memorials of the future could look like.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “We are very grateful that so many people living in the South West took the time to tell us about memorials in their communities and the stories behind them. At a time when our national statues and memorials are under increasing scrutiny, we’re delighted to shine a light on these often undiscovered and under-appreciated but precious markers of our past. Every one of those that’s been nominated has a local champion and someone who cares about it and about the story it tells. It’s important for us all to know who has been commemorated in our public spaces and what this can tell us about our history, as we look at how public memorials are evolving today.”

Memorials suggested by people living in the South West included King Doniert’s Stone near St Cleer.

The memorial to Charlotte Dymond is newly listed. It was commissioned and built by public subscription in memory of a servant girl murdered in 1844. A mark of respect of this type was rarely carried out for someone of relatively humble origins and is indicative of the high level of public feeling at the time. It’s an evocative monument built of Cornish granite, a solemn unadorned obelisk at an isolated spot of Roughtor on Bodmin Moor. Charlotte was believed to have been murdered by Matthew Weekes, a servant in the same household. An estimated 20,000 people went to Bodmin Gaol to witness his hanging. The tale of Charlotte’s murder has become embedded in the folklore of Bodmin Moor and has inspired poems, songs and ghost stories.

Further listings are likely to be announced as part of the legacy of the season.