A BLUE plaque has been unveiled to honour the man who gave his name to Oxford Brookes University.

The plaque, commemorating educationalist John Henry Brookes went up at the house where he lived in The Slade, Oxford.

Joining the unveiling ceremony on Wednesday, was management consultant Bryan Brown, who suggested university chiefs use Mr Brookes’ name in 1992 after staff at what was then Oxford Brookes Polytechnic failed to come up with a title for the institution.

Mr Brookes lived at 195 The Slade, from 1929 to his death aged 84 in 1975.

Mr Brown, 63, from Abingdon, said: “I went to Cheney School which John Henry Brookes founded and I’m delighted that this plaque has been erected in his memory.

“He loved living at 195 The Slade and spent a lot of time in the garden, which was his pride and joy.”

Mr Brown is working on a biography of Mr Brookes, which the university will publish. He said he hoped it would re-establish Brookes’ legacy to Oxford, adding: “the university still holds dear a lot of the values and educational ideas that Brookes formulated”.

The plaque was unveiled by the university’s vice chancellor, Prof Janet Beer.

University spokesman Ed Reed said: “The university is delighted that John Henry Brookes has been honoured in this way. His values of equality, diversity and education for all are all maintained by the university today.”

It is the 57th plaque to be put up by the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board since the scheme was established in 1999.

Board spokesman Eda Forbes said: “We have thought for a long time that John Henry Brookes should be honoured.

Negotiations regarding plaques can take a long time and in this instance they lasted five years.”

Other famous citizens who have been honoured include Oxford don JRR Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings, at his former home in Northmoor Road, North Oxford.

Sarah Cooper, the inventor of Oxford Marmalade, is also honoured with a plaque in High Street.