Lilian Lindsay’s house with blue plaque demolished unlawfully
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- Published: Friday, 22 February 2019 08:11
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A developer has been fined £60,000 for demolishing a house in Islington, London, the home of Lilian Lindsay, Britain’s first female dentist. It is only recently that English Heritage placed a blue plaque there to commemorate her. They will be moving it to the former BDA headquarters in Russell Square, where she worked.
According to the Islington Gazette, the demolished homes dated from 1860 and had a number of notable architectural features, particularly their original brick facade and grand traditional windows to the first floor. Planning permission was granted in January 2017 for a scheme that would retain the facade, and had a number of conditions attached to protect original features.
But instead of sticking to the agreed plans and implementing the approved supports and frame, the developers demolished the building down to the ground floor. They pleaded guilty to 10 offences at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on December 11 for demolishing the villas without permission and failing to comply with conditions of a previous planning permission. They were ordered to pay a combined sum in fines and costs of £59,261.32.
When told of this demolition, a BDA spokesperson said: “We were shocked and saddened to hear that the house where Lilian Lindsay, the first woman to qualify as a dentist in the UK, once lived has been demolished.”
English Heritage said: “Lilian Lindsay was the first woman to qualify as a dentist in Britain in 1895, overcoming many obstacles to do so. Her plaque, originally marking a now-demolished building in Islington, will be installed at a new location at the former British Dental Association headquarters in Russell Square where she worked from 1920 to 1935 and lived in an upstairs flat.”
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