Dr Eliza Walker Dunbar (1845-1925) was one of the ‘Zürich Seven’ – the first seven women in the world to complete a formal medical degree undertaken at the University of Zürich in Switzerland which was the only university at that time to allow women to take a medical degree.
On her return to England in 1873 she became the first woman in the UK to be made House Surgeon at a mixed hospital – Bristol’s Children’s Hospital, then located in St Michael’s Hill, but was forced to resign when all the male doctors walked out in protest.
However, the media furore that followed prompted a national debate over the recognition of women doctors, and the passing of the 'Enabling Act of 1876', which allowed women who had undertaken medical degrees abroad to take licentiate exams in the UK from 1 January 1877.
Following her resignation, Dr Walker Dunbar set up a private practice in Clifton and in 1876 established the Read Dispensary for Women and Children in Hotwells - an outpatient clinic offering minor surgery as well as GP consultations. Initially open two days a week, it proved so popular that within a few years it had expanded significantly, attracting women from all over the city and by 1885 was seeing around 1,800 patients a year. In 1906, it moved to a larger, purpose-built site in St George’s Road.
In December 1895, Dr Walker Dunbar opened the Bristol Private Hospital for Women and Children at 34 Berkeley Square (now the location for part of the University of Bristol’s School of Education) where she held the post of Senior Surgeon there until her death in 1925. Originally the private hospital had space for 12 patients and focused on the treatment of women by women. By 1914 the hospital had expanded to a second site, about 50 metres away, at 7 Charlotte Street.
In addition to her medical career, Dr Walker Dunbar's contributed to the broader Women's Movement in Bristol in the late 19th century, becoming involved in the city’s female suffrage movement soon after her arrival in 1873.
She was a leading member of the Bristol Working Women's Union and one of the founders of the National Union of Working Women (NUWW), established in Bristol and in 1878 was one of three NUWW delegates to the annual meeting of the Trades Union Congress.
She also had numerous connections to University College Bristol – which would ultimately become the University of Bristol – and became the first woman to provide medical-related teaching. She was also heavily involved in advancing educational and employment opportunities for women in the city specifically and the country more generally.
Dr Evan Jones from the University’s Department of History said: “In 2025 a group of PGCE History students took Dr Walker Dunbar as a case study for developing place-based local history teaching. One of their suggestions was that she should be better known in the city where she carried our such pioneering work. In the course of looking into her history, we discovered that she used to unscrew her brass doctor’s name plate from the hospital door each night in case it was stolen or defaced. The plate was clearly a contested object at the time that was important to Dr Walker Dunbar and to those who hated what it represented. So, the students wanted to give her plate back to her and we are very pleased to do so.”
Professor Judith Squires, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, added: “It seems fitting that in our 150th year, the University pays tribute to such a pioneering woman who made an incredible difference to the people of Bristol and paved the way for millions of female doctors and clinicians after her. We are delighted to be unveiling a blue plaque in her honour today and re-installing the brass name plate which clearly meant so much to her.”