Louisa Aldrich-Blake Memorial

Photo credit - WWP team

The Louisa Aldrich-Blake Memorial commemorates the commitment and achievements of the pioneering physician who was the first female surgeon in the UK.

Dame Louisa Brandreth Aldrich-Blake (1865-1925) was born in Chingford, England. She began her academic education at Cheltenham Ladies’ College and then trained at the London School of Medicine for Women (1887-1892), graduating with honors at age 27 with a degree in medicine and obstetrics. In 1895, she obtained her Doctor of Medicine, becoming the first woman in the UK to be awarded the degree of Master of Surgery. She held several influential positions throughout her career, including the first female anesthetist at the Royal Free Hospital (1895) and Dean of the London School of Medicine for Women (1914-1925). Her leadership inspired more women to pursue a medical career.

The sculptor Arthur George Walker created the memorial in 1926. It comprises two identical bronze busts, one looking toward the garden and the other toward the street. Aldrich-Blake is depicted in her Dean’s gown, crossing her hands while holding a book. The plaque on the base lists the details of her life and career and her quotation, “Glorious is the fruit of good labour.” A semicircular stone bench is attached to the base.

Also at the Tavistock Square Gardens are the statues of Virginia Woolf and Mahatma Gandhi, as well as a cherry tree planted to commemorate Hiroshima’s victims. The sculpture of WW2 British-Indian agent Noor Inayat Khan stands at the Gordon Square Gardens across the street. Other places worth a visit nearby are the Tavistock Court, Russell Square, The British Museum, and Queen Elizabeth II Great Court.

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