Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan


(Dorothy Fleming)

1899 - 1985

First female to qualify as an engineer in Britain. Born in Langholm (Dumfries and Galloway), the daughter of the parish minister, and educated at Langholm Academy. She went on to study civil engineering at the University of Edinburgh, moved to London and worked on designs for Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle and the Lambeth Bridge in London. She qualified as the first female member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1927. She retired from engineering on her marriage in 1930. She died in Somerset in the SW of England, and the Institution of Civil Engineers named a room in their London headquarters in her honour in 2019.


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better