Celebrating Women
Blue Plaques
The blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site. Here we will celebrate the blue plaques of inspirational women.
Inspirational Women
Blue Plaques in the UK
- Jessie Ace and Margaret Wright- Heroines of Mumbles Lifeboat disaster- Mumbles Pier, Swansea, Wales
- Olave Baden-Powell- Chief Guide of the Girl Guides- Shentall Memorial Gardens Chesterfield, Derbyshire
- Mary Barbour- Scottish social reformer, Rent Strike Leader, Women's Peace Crusader and pioneering woman councillor in Glasgow- 10 Hutton Drive, Linthouse, Glasgow
- Elizabeth Bell- Physician, Suffragist- Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, Northern Ireland
- Hannah Billig- Physician- 198 Cable Street, E1
- Enid Blyton- Writer- 83 Shortlands Road, Shortlands, BR2
- Anne Brontë- Writer- Grand Hotel, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
- Hetty King- Music Hall Male Impersonator- 17 Palmerston Road Wimbledon, London
- Clementine Churchill- Wife of Winston Churchill- 107 High Street, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
- Marie Kendall- Music Hall Artiste- Okeover Manor Clapham Common Northside, London
- Hetty King- Music Hall artistes and male impersonator- 17 Palmerston Road, Wimbledon
- Jessie Matthews- Actress, dancer and singer- Blue Posts Pub, 22 Berwick Street, W1
- Florence Nightingale- Social reformer- N/A
- Gwen Raverat- Artist- Darwin College, Silver Street, Cambridge
- Elizabeth Jesser Reid- Slavery abolitionist and founder of Bedford College for Women- 48 Bedford Square, WC1
- P. L. Travers- Author of Mary Poppins- 50 Smith Street, London SW3
- Alison Uttley- Author- Castle Top Farm, Cromford, Derbyshire
- Agnes Arber- publishing eight books and more than 90 scientific papers on the field of botany, the first female botanist to be elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society- 9 Elsworthy Terrace, Primrose Hill, London NW3 3DR
- Elizabeth David- cookery writer who is credited with introducing post-war England to Mediterranean food- 24 Halsey Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 2PT, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- Dame Margot Fonteyn- dominating the world of ballet for more than 40 years, Fonteyn is widely regarded as the greatest ballet dancer of her generation- 118 Long Acre in Covent Garden
- Margaret Lockwood - starring in many films including Alfre Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, Lockwood is one of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s- 14 Highland Rd, West Norwood, London SE19 1DP
- Noor Inayat Khan - a British heroine of the Second World War and the first female radio operator sent into Nazi-occupied France- Taviton street, Bloomsbury, London
- Gertrude Bell - a traveller, archaeologist and diplomat who became highly influential to British imperial policy-making- 95 Sloane Street in Chelsea
- Dame myra hess- pianist -48 Wildwood Road, Hampstead Garden Suburb
- Amy Johnson (1903–1941), Aviator. Vernon Court, Hendon Way, Cricklewood
- Mary Macarthur (1880–1921), Trade Unionist and campaigner for working women. 42 Woodstock Road, Golders Green
- Rachel McMillan (1859–1917) and Margaret McMillan (1860–1931), Pioneers of Nursery education. 51 Tweedy Road, Bromley
- Marie Stopes (1880–1958), promoter of sex education and birth control- 28 cintra park
- Joanna Baillie (1762–1851), Poet and dramatist. Bolton House, Windmill Hill, Hampstead
- Dame Henrietta Barnett (1851–1936), founder of Hampstead Garden Suburb. Heath End House, Spaniards Road, Hampstead, plaque installed 1983 - shares the plaque with Samuel Barnett (1844-1913), her husband
- Vera Brittain (1893–1970) and Winifred Holtby (1898–1935), writers and reformers. 58 Doughty Street, Holborn, plaque installed 1995
- Frances Mary Buss (1827–1894) Pioneer of education for women was the headmistress of Camden School for Girls 1879-1894. Camden School for Girls, Sandall Road, Kentish Town, plaque installed 2000
- Dame Clara Butt (1872–1937), Singer. 7 Harley Road, Swiss Cottage, plaque installed 1969
- Millicent Garrett Fawcett (1847–1929), Pioneer of women’s suffrage. 2 Gower Street, Bloomsbury, plaque installed 1954
- Kathleen Ferrier (1912–1953), Contralto singer. 97 Frognal, Hampstead, plaque installed 1979
- Ruth First (1925–1982), South African Freedom Fighter killed by a parcel bomb in Mozambique. 13 Lyme Street, Camden Town, plaque installed 2003 - shares the plaque with Joe Slovo (1926-1995) South African politician and opponent of apartheid
- Anna Freud (1895–1982), pioneer psychoanalyst and child of Sigmund Freud. 20 Maresfield Gardens (now the Freud Museum), Hampstead, plaque installed 2002
- Kate Greenaway (1846–1901), Artist and writer known for her children’s illustrations. 39 Frognal Hampstead, plaque installed 1949
- Barbara Hammond (1873–1961), Social historian. 'Hollycot', Vale of Health Hampstead, plaque installed 1972 - shares the plaque with her husband, J.L. Hammond (1865-1922) who she wrote her books with
- Tamara Karsavina (1885–1978) Russian prima ballerina who taught in London. 108 Frognal, Hampstead, plaque installed 1987
- Dame Ida Mann (1893–1983), Ophthalmologist who researched the influences of genetics and social factors on eye disease. 13 Minster Road, West Hampstead, plaque installed 2012
- Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923), a New Zealand born short story writer. 17 East Heath Road
- Hampstead, plaque installed 1969 - shares the plaque with her husband, John Middleton Murry (1889-1957), a prominent critic
- Lady Ottoline Morrell (1873–1938), Literary hostess and patron of the arts. 10 Gower Street Bloomsbury, plaque installed 1986
- Martina Bergman-Österberg (1849–1915), pioneer of physical education for women. 1 Broadhurst Gardens, Hampstead, plaque installed 1999
- Sylvia Plath, (1932–1963), Poet. 3 Chalcot Square. Primrose Hill, plaque installed 2000
- Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830–1894), Poet. 30 Torrington Square, Bloomsbury, plaque installed 1913
- Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957), Crime writer and poet. 24 Great James Street, Holborn, plaque installed 2000
- Edith Sitwell (1887–1964), Poet. Greenhill, Hampstead High Street, Hampstead, plaque installed 1998
- Beatrice Webb (1858-1943), One of the founders of LSE. Social scientist and political reformer. 1 Netherhall Gardens, Hampstead, plaque installed 1981 - shares the plaque with her husband, Sidney Webb (1859-1947) who was a member of the Fabian society and also founded LSE.
- Virginia Woolf, (1882–1941), Novelist and critic. 29 Fitzroy Square, Fitzrovia, plaque installed 1974
- Dorothea Lambert Chambers (1878–1960), Lawn Tennis champion. 7 North Common Road, Ealing
- Stevie Smith (1902–1971), Poet. 1 Avondale Road, Palmers Green
- Maria Dickin (1870–1951), Founder of PDSA and promoter of animal welfare. 41 Cassland Road, Hackney, plaque installed 2015
- Marie Lloyd (1870–1922), Music Hall singer, comedian and actress. 55 Graham Road
- Hackney, plaque installed 1977
- Ouida (1839–1908), the pseudonym of the novelist Maria Louise Rame. 11 Ravenscourt Square, Hammersmith, plaque installed 1952
- Caroline Chisholm (1808–1877), Humanitarian and philanthropist involved in the welfare of female immigrant welfare in Australia. 32 Charlton Place, Islington, plaque installed 1983
- Amelia Edwards (1831–1892), Egyptologist and writer. 19 Wharton Street, Islington, plaque installed 1926
- Dame Gracie Fields (1898–1979), singer and entertainer. 72A Upper Street, Islington, plaque installed 2011
- Lilian Lindsay (1871–1960), The first woman to qualify as a dentist in Britain. 3 Hungerford Road, Holloway, plaque installed 2019
- Princess Serafina Astafieva (1876–1934), Russian ballet dancer. 152 King's Road
- Chelsea, plaque installed 1968
- Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), novelist and playwright. 29 Hyde Park Gate, Kensington, plaque installed 1997
- Jennie Lee (1904-1988), Labour MP for North Lanarkshire (1929-31) and Cannock (1945-1970). Leading role in founding the Open University as Minister for the Arts (1964-1970). 23 Cliveden Place, Belgravia, plaque installed 2015 - shares the plaque with Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960), her husband who was also a politician.
- Dorothy Bland, (1762-1816), Actress. 30 Cadogan Place, Chelsea, plaque installed 1975
- Dame Agatha Christie, (1890–1976), Writer of detective novels, plays and short stories. 58 Sheffield Terrace, Holland Park, plaque installed 2001
- Dame Ivy Compton-Burnett, (1884–1969), novelist, 5 Braemar Mansions. Cornwall Gardens
- Kensington, plaque installed 1994
- Elizabeth David (1913–1992), Cookery Writer. 24 Halsey Street, Chelsea, plaque installed 2016
- Evelyn de Morgan (1855–1919), Artist influenced by the Pre-Raphelite movement. 127 Old Church Street, Chelsea, plaque installed 1937 - shares the plaque with her husband, William de Morgan (1839-1917) who was a ceramic artist and novelist
- George Eliot (1819–1880), novelist. 4 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, plaque installed 1949
- Rosalind Franklin (1920–1958), A chemist who was a pioneer of the study of molecular structures, including DNA. Donovan Court, Drayton Gardens, Chelsea, plaque installed 1992
- Mrs Gaskell (1810-1865), Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, often known as Mrs Gaskell, was a novelist who wrote Cranford and North and South. 93 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, plaque installed 1913
- Joyce Grenfell (1910–1979), Entertainer, actor and writer. 34 Elm Park Gardens, Chelsea, plaque installed 2003
- Marion Dorn (1896-1964), Textile designer. Swan Court, Chelsea Manor Street, Chelsea, plaque installed 2015
- Lillie Langtry, (1853–1929), Actress who was nicknamed ‘The Jersey Lily’ and mistress of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. 21 Pont Street (now the Cadogan Hotel), Chelsea, plaque installed 1980
- Jenny Lind (a.k.a. Madame Goldschmidt), (1820–1887), Singer who was nicknamed the ‘Swedish Nightingale’. 189 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, plaque installed 1909
- Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) and Dame Christabel Pankhurst (1880–1958), Campaigners for Women’s Suffrage. 50 Clarendon Road, Notting Hill, plaque installed 2006
- Sylvia Pankhurst (1882–1960), Campaigner for Women’s Rights. 120 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, plaque installed 1985
- Dame Marie Rambert (1888–1982), Founder of Ballet Rambert, a leading dance company. 19 Campden Hill Gardens, Holland Park, plaque installed 1997
- Jean Rhys (1890–1979), writer born in Dominica who lived in Britain from the age of 16. Paultons House, Paultons Square, Chelsea, plaque installed 2012
- Dame Ellen Terry (1847-1928), Shakespearean actress. 22 Barkston Gardens, Earls Court, plaque installed 1951
- Dame Sybil Thorndike (1882–1976), Shakespearean actress. 6 Carlyle Square, Chelsea, plaque installed 1998
- Elisabeth Welch (1904–2003), Singer and Actress. Ovington Court, Ovington Gardens, off Brompton Road, Kensington, plaque installed 2012
- Jane Francesca, Lady Wilde "Speranza" (1821–1901), Irish poet and supporter of the Nationalist movement. 87 Oakley Street, Chelsea, plaque installed 2000
- Enid Blyton (1897–1968), Children’s author. 207 Hook Road, Chessington, plaque installed 2007
- Dame Nelly Melba (1861–1931), Soprano Opera singer. Coombe House, Devey Close, Coomber, plaque installed 2000
- Lilian Baylis (1874–1937), Manager of the Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells Theatres. 27 Stockwell Park Road, Stockwell, plaque installed 1974
- Margaret Lockwood (1916-1990), Film actress. 56 Akerman Road, Camberwell, plaque installed 2018
- Violette Szabo (1921–1945), French/British secret agent who was captured in occupied France during the Second World War and executed. 18 Burnley Road, Stockwell, plaque installed 1981
- Eleanor Marx (1855–1898), Socialist campaigner. 7 Jews Walk, Sydenham
- Josephine Butler (1828–1906), Champion of Women’s Suffrage, rights and education. 8 North View, Wimbledon, plaque installed 2001
- Georgette Heyer (1902–1974), novelist. 103 Woodside, Wimbledon, plaque installed 2015
- Sister Nivedita (Margaret Noble) (1867-1911), Irish teacher, author and campaigner for Indian Independence. 21A High Street, Wimbledon, plaque installed 2017
- Dame Margaret Rutherford (1892–1972), Actress. 4 Berkeley Place, Wimbledon, plaque installed 2002
- Dame Ninette de Valois (1898–2001), Founder of the Royal Ballet. 14 The Terrace, Barnes, plaque installed 2006
- Kathleen Godfree (1896–1922), Lawn Tennis Champion and the most decorated female British Olympian, joint with Katherine Grainger. 55 York Avenue, East Sheen, plaque installed 2006
- Dame Celia Johnson (1908–1982), Actress who was nominated for Academy Award Best Actress. 46 Richmond Hill, Richmond, plaque installed 2008
- Annie Besant (1847–1933), Social reformer. 39 Colby Road, Gipsy Hill, plaque installed 1963
- Edith Cavell (1865–1915) Pioneer of modern nursing who saved hundreds of soldiers in the First World War. London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, Whitechapel, plaque installed 1988
- Anna Maria Garthwaite (1690–1763), Textile designer who designed Spitalfields Silks. 2 Princelet Street, Spitalfields, plaque installed 1998
- Mary Hughes (1860–1941), second wife of Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes known for her charity work with servicemen. 71 Vallance Road, Bethnal Green, plaque installed 1961
- Nancy Astor (1879-1964), First woman to sit in Parliament. 4 St James’s Square, plaque installed 1987
- Hertha Ayrton (1854–1923), British engineer, mathematician, inventor and physicist who was awarded the Hughes Medal by the Royal Society. 41 Norfolk Square, Paddington, plaque installed 2007
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861), Poet. 50 Wimpole Street, Marylebone, plaque installed 1899
- Violet Bonham Carter (1887-1969), Politician and writer. 43 Gloucester Square, Paddington, plaque installed 1994
- Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973), Irish novelist and short story writer. 1-7 Clarence Terrace, Regent’s Park, plaque installed 2012
- Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924), Author who wrote The Secret Garden. 63 Portland Place, Marylebone, plaque installed 1979
- Fanny Burney (1752-1840), Novelist, diarist and playwright who was known as Madame D’Arblay after her marriage. 11 Bolton Street, Mayfair, plaque installed 1885
- Emma Cons, (1837-1912), Founder of the Old Vic theatre and philanthropist. 136 Seymour Place, Marylebone, plaque installed 1978
- Emily Davis, Founder of Girton College, Cambridge. 17 Cunningham Place, Lisson Grove, plaque installed 1978
- Dame Edith Evans (1888-1976), English actress who was nominated for three Academy Awards. 109 Ebury Street, Belgravia, plaque installed 1997
- Ethel Gordon Fenwick (1857-1947), Nurse who campaigned for reform and a national certificate for nursing. 20 Upper Wimpole Street, Marylebone, plaque installed 1999
- Dame Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991), Prima Ballerina of the Royal Ballet. 118 Long Acre, Covent Garden, plaque installed 2016
- Ava Gardener (1922-1990), American actress and singer. 34 Ennismore Gardens, Knightsbridge, plaque installed 2016
- Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917), First woman to qualify as a doctor. 20 Upper Berkeley Street, Marylebone, plaque installed 1962
- Octavia Hill (1838-1912), Housing reformer and co-founder of The National Trust. 2 Garbutt Place, Marylebone, plaque installed 1991
- Stella Lady Reading, Founder of the Women’s Voluntary Services. 41 Tothill Street, Westminster, plaque installed 2017
- Ada, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852), Pioneer of Computing. 12 St James’s Square, plaque installed 1992
- Melanie Klein (1882-1960), Psychoanalyst and pioneer of child analysis. 42 Clifton Hill, St John’s Wood, plaque installed 1985
- Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970), English Impressionist artist. 16 Langford Place, St John’s Wood, plaque installed 1983 - shares the plaque with her husband, Harold Knight (1874-1961) who was also an artist.
- Susan Lawrence (1871-1947), Labour MP for East Ham North (1923-24, 1926-31). One of the first female MPs. 44 Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, plaque installed 1987
- Vivien Leigh (1913-1967), Actress and winner of two Academy Awards, one for playing Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). 54 Eaton Square, Belgravia, plaque installed 1996
- Jane Loudon (1807-1858), Writer of science fiction and the first popular horticultural books. 3 Porchester Terrace, Bayswater, plaque installed 1953 - shares the plaque with her husband, John Loudon (1783-1843) a botanist and garden designer.
- Rose Macaulay (1881-1958), Writer most known for her book The Towers of Trebizond, Hinde House. 11-14 Hinde Street, Marylebone, plaque installed 1996
- Alic Meynell (1847-1922), Suffragette, poet and essayist. 47 Palace Court, Bayswater, plaque installed 1948
- Nancy Mitford (1904-1973), The eldest of the Mitford sisters. Author and biographer. 10 Curzon Street, Mayfair, plaque installed 1999
- Dame Edwina Mountbatten (1901-1960), the last Vicereine of India. 2 Wilton Crescent, Belgravia, plaque installed 2000 - shares the plaque with her husband, Louis Mountbatten, Earl of Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979), the last Viceroy of India
- Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962), writer and gardener. 182 Ebury Street, Belgravia, plaque installed 1993 - shares the plaque with her husband, Sir Harold Nicolson (1886-1968), a British diplomat and author.
- Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), Credited as the founder of modern nursing, sometimes referred to as The Lady with the Lamp. 10 South Street, Mayfair, plaque installed 1955
- Ann Oldfield (1683-1730), Actress at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 60 Grosvenor Street, Mayfair, plaque installed 1992
- Eleanor Rathbone (1872–1946), British MP and campaigner for a family allowance and women’s rights. Tufton Court, Tufton Street, Westminster, plaque installed 1986
- Dame Lucie Rie (1902-1995), A studio potter. 18 Albion Mews, Paddington, plaque installed 2008
- Mary Seacole (1805-1881), Jamaican nurse and heroine of the Crimean war. 14 Soho Square, Soho, plaque installed 2007
- Mary Shelley (1797-1851), Author of Frankenstein. 24 Chester Square, Belgravia, plaque installed 2003
- Constance Spry (1886–1960), A pioneering florist and educator. 64 South Audley Street, Mayfair, plaque installed 2012
- Marie Taglioni (1809-1884), Swedish ballet dancer. 14 Connaught Square, Paddington, plaque installed 1960
- Dame Marie Tempest (1864-1942), Singer and actress. 24 Park Crescent, Regent’s Park, plaque installed 1972
- Marie Tussaud (1761-1850), Wax artist. 24 Wellington Road, St John’s Wood, plaque installed 2001
