I’M a great believer in holidaying in Britain, especially when temperatures abroad are soaring as they have been this summer.

We are often drawn to a town or village by one particular attraction, perhaps a stately home, an art gallery or a museum.

But once we're there, there's always far more to discover.

One thing that never fails to catch my eye is a plaque fixed to the wall of an old building.

These simple markers create a direct link between a place and the people who once lived or worked there. Sometimes they remind me of familiar historical figures; more often they introduce me to someone whose achievements I knew nothing about.

Either way, they add another layer to the story of the place I’m visiting.

That same sense of discovery exists much closer to home. Marlow has more than a dozen commemorative plaques scattered throughout the town, each telling the story of someone who helped shape its rich history. Many celebrate people from the creative arts, who have long been attracted by the town’s beauty and tranquillity.

The newest plaque honours Jim Capaldi, the celebrated musician, songwriter and co-founder of Traffic, whose former home at The Parsonage was recently commemorated. Literary connections abound too, with Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, and T. S. Eliot among those with links to Marlow. Elsewhere, Borlase School remembers two former pupils who lost their lives in war, including Basil Horsfall, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his extraordinary bravery during the First World War.

Each plaque offers a glimpse into a different chapter of Marlow’s past. Some commemorate internationally famous figures, while others tell the stories of remarkable local people whose contributions deserve to be remembered. Together they form an open-air museum that anyone can enjoy simply by taking a stroll through the town.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be exploring the stories behind these plaques in more detail. I hope you’ll be inspired to look up as you walk around Marlow you never know what piece of history you might discover on the wall beside you.