London Borough of Camden, United Kingdom

Memorial To Dame Louisa Aldrich Blake In Tavistock Square Gardens

London Borough of Camden, United Kingdom

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Located on the southeast corner of Tavistock Square Gardens in Bloomsbury, this bronze and stone memorial honours Dame Louisa Aldrich-Blake, the first woman to receive the degree of Master of Surgery and a pioneering figure in British medicine. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled in 1926 shortly after her death, the memorial features identical bronze busts sculpted by Arthur George Walker. Aldrich-Blake's distinguished career included work at the New Hospital for Women and Children and the Royal Free Hospital, where she advanced surgical treatment for cervical and colorectal cancer, and service as dean of the London School of Medicine for Women—the nation's first medical school devoted to training female doctors. She also volunteered for the Red Cross during World War I. The memorial was Grade II listed in 1974 and stands among several public artworks in the Gardens.