Lord Lister (1827-1912) Surgeon lived here

One of the more 'storied' plaques in the Official London plaque scheme. In 1915 this black 'medallion style' bronze plaque was erected to commemorate Joseph Lister, pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who had died in 1912, by London County Council at 12 Park Crescent, Regent's Park. Park Crescent was damaged during the Second World War, and the plaque was believed to have been lost or scrapped in the aftermath. When the decision was taken by the Crown Estate to rebuild the structures (supposedly retaining the original Regency period facades by John Nash) in the 1960s, an appeal in The Lancet magazine led to the missing plaque being found in a loft, and it was re-erected in 1966. The plaque remained in situ at 12 Park Crescent until 2018 when, during further rebuilding work it 'disappeared' again. It was formally removed from the official scheme in 2019. Lister was immediately shortlisted for a new plaque, at different location in Fitzrovia, it having transpired that those 'original' facades - which had been Grade One listed in February 1970 - were post WWII rebuilds, making the site ineligible under the English Heritage scheme rules. The new plaque was put up on 6th September 2024 at 52 Maple Street.