Judith Ledeboer

Judith Geertruid Ledeboer
Judith Geertruid Ledeboer
Born	8 September 1901; Almelo, Netherlands
Died	24 December 1990(aged 89); Surrey, United Kingdom
Nationality	Dutch-British
Known for	Architecture
Awards	Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) (1966)

Judith Geertruid LedeboerOBE(8 September 1901 – 24 December 1990) was a Dutch-born English architect. She was most active in London and Oxford, where she designed a variety of schools, university buildings and public housing projects.

Early life and education[edit]

Ledeboer was born in 1901 inAlmelo,the Netherlands. She was one of six children born to Willem Ledeboer, who worked as a banker, and Harmina Engelbertha van Heek. Her family moved to London shortly after her birth. She attendedWimbledon High School,Cheltenham Ladies' CollegeandBedford College(a constituent school of theUniversity of London). She studied history atNewnham Collegeat theUniversity of Cambridgefrom 1921 to 1924. She moved toCambridge, Massachusetts,to complete a master's degree in economics atRadcliffe Collegein 1925, and returned to London the next year to train at theArchitectural Association School of Architecture.She studied alongsideJessica Albery,Justin Blanco White,andMary Crowley(later Medd), and they developed a commitment to housing reform and social concerns which impacted their future careers.^[1]^[2]She graduated in 1931.^[3]

With Jessica Albery, Ledeboer spent six months on building sites in the City of London, learning in a hands on way from contact with foremen, clerks of works, and the wider building trades.^[1]

Career[edit]

One of Ledeboer's early inspirations was the architectElisabeth Scott,whom she assisted on the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (now theRoyal Shakespeare Theatre) inStratford-upon-Avon.^[3]Ledeboer went into practice with David Booth in 1939 as Booth and Ledeboer,^[4]where she mainly worked on small residential projects.^[5]She left the firm in 1941 to work for theMinistry of Healththrough World War II. She was the first female employee of the ministry to be responsible for housing,^[4]and was secretary of the Dudley and Burt committees onpublic housing.^[3]

In 1946, Ledeboer left the Ministry of Health and returned to practice with Booth. In 1956, John Pinckheard became a partner in the firm and it became Booth, Ledeboer, and Pinckheard.^[4]The firm was based in London and Oxford and its main clients were universities and in the public sector.^[3]Some of the university projects on which Ledeboer worked were the Institute of Archaeology and Classical Studies at theUniversity of London(1953–1958), the Waynflete Building ofMagdalen Collegeat theUniversity of Oxford(1961–1964), andMagdalen College School(1966), also part of Magdalen College.^[4]Booth and Ledeboer's work in the public sector included hospitals, factories, offices and a number of schools, including theDragon SchoolandHeadington School,both in Oxford.^[5]

Ledeboer designed several housing complexes in London for theLewishamandNewhamBorough Councils. The project for which she is best known is the elderly home on theLansbury EstateinPoplar, London,which she designed for theFestival of Britainin 1951. She designed a neighbourhood unit inHemel Hempsteadin 1950–1955, comprising houses, flats, maisonettes and shops.^[3]

Ledeboer left private practice in 1970 but remained an active member of theRoyal Institute of British Architectsand theLandscape Instituteuntil the mid-1970s. She died in 1990 at her home inHambledon, Surrey.^[3]

Legacy[edit]

Ledeboer was described by Lynne Walker in theOxford Dictionary of National Biographyas "one of the most significant voices in post-war housing policy". She was appointedOfficer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire(OBE) in 1966.^[3]

References[edit]

^^a ^bWalker, Lynne (11 July 2019),"Albery, Jessica Mary (1908–1990), architect and town planner",Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.112259,ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8,retrieved2 October2021
^Darling, Elizabeth (11 July 2019),"White [married name Waddington], (Margaret) Justin Blanco (1911–2001), architect",Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.112261,ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8,retrieved2 October2021
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^gWalker, Lynne (2004)."Ledeboer, Judith Geertruid (1901–1990)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/66415.Retrieved24 October2015.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
^^a ^b ^c ^d"Judith Ledeboer"(PDF).Women in Architecture.Retrieved24 October2015.^{[permanent dead link]}
^^a ^bWhite, Roger; Darwall-Smith, Robin (2001).The Architectural Drawings of Magdalen College, Oxford: a Catalogue.Oxford University Press.p. 209.ISBN 978-0-19-924866-7.

[:0-1] Walker, Lynne (11 July 2019),"Albery, Jessica Mary (1908–1990), architect and town planner",Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.112259,ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8,retrieved2 October2021

[2] Darling, Elizabeth (11 July 2019),"White [married name Waddington], (Margaret) Justin Blanco (1911–2001), architect",Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.112261,ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8,retrieved2 October2021

[odnb-3] ^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^gWalker, Lynne (2004)."Ledeboer, Judith Geertruid (1901–1990)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/66415.Retrieved24 October2015.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)

[women-4] "Judith Ledeboer"(PDF).Women in Architecture.Retrieved24 October2015.^{[permanent dead link]}

[oxford-5] White, Roger; Darwall-Smith, Robin (2001).The Architectural Drawings of Magdalen College, Oxford: a Catalogue.Oxford University Press.p. 209.ISBN 978-0-19-924866-7.

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