Robert Angus Smith blue plaque

This blue commemorative plaque records: RSoC Robert Angus Smith PhD FRS 1820- 1903 First Chief Alkali Inspector 1863-1884 The Annual Reports of the Alkali Inspectorate show his concern for the control of black smoke and air pollution The Smoke Abatement Society, formed in 1909, proposed a Smokeless Zone for Manchester in 1938. Established in 1946, it pre-dated the Clean Air Act 1956 20 Gosvenor Square was the site of RA Smith's laboratory Royal Society of Chemistry Recorded plaque organisation: Royal Society of Chemistry.

Robert Angus Smith FRS (1820-1903) was a pioneering chemist and environmental scientist who served as the first Chief Alkali Inspector, advocating for air pollution control and laying foundational work in atmospheric chemistry that influenced later legislation like the Clean Air Act 1956.