A keen amateur athlete, Hill was the first scientist to take a deep interest in the human body in sport, and to conduct experiments in exercise physiology. His unconventional training in mathematics and physics, rather than medicine as was the norm for physiologists, enabled him to bring an original perspective to his field of study.

In doing so, he helped to establish biophysics as a new scientific discipline, and his pioneering engagement with the application of physiology to sports medicine brought rigour and credibility to an otherwise neglected area of scientific research. Hill’s approach, and the discoveries it brought, mean that he is generally regarded as one of the founding fathers of sports medicine, a discipline vital in the world of professional sport today.

Born Archibald Vivian Hill in 1886, Hill (preferring to be known by his initials) originally won a scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1905, but was encouraged to pursue his interests in science and began research at the Cambridge Physiological Laboratory.

Hill moved from Cambridge University to University College, London in 1922 and for the next forty-four years lived at one address in London – 16 Bishopswood Road in Highgate. Here he consolidated his international reputation as one of the leading scientists of his day, actively pursuing his physiological research in the laboratories of UCL until 1966.

Between 1922 and 1924, Hill and his colleagues published a number of ground-breaking papers on muscular exercise, including investigations into heat production that saw him awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology in 1923. His work in the field also saw discoveries that demonstrated the maximum capacity of the human body to take in and consume oxygen, and the anaerobic breakdown of carbohydrate to lactic acid. In 1927, he conducted the first experiments to investigate the effects of air resistance in running.

A conscientious public servant, Hill also sat on numerous scientific and government committees, and was highly respected in his wartime role as an independent MP for Cambridge University (1940-45). In 1933 he denounced Hitler’s policy of forcing Jewish scientists out of their jobs and as a founder member of the Academic Assistance Council, he helped over nine hundred academics – including eighteen Nobel laureates – escape persecution by the Nazis.

Sir Ralph Kohn FRS who proposed the Blue Plaque, said: “The Nobel Prize winner A. V. Hill contributed vastly to our understanding of muscle physiology. His work has resulted in wide-ranging application in sports medicine. As an outstanding Humanitarian and Parliamentarian, he was uncompromising in his condemnation of the Nazi regime for its persecution of scientists and others. A. V. Hill played a crucial role in assisting and rescuing many refugees to continue their work in this country.”

The Blue Plaque is located at Number 16 Bishopswood Road in Highgate, one of a pair of large, brick-built detached houses, which date from 1878. The property has been restored by luxury developer, Atelier, and is now for sale through Savills and Glentree.

The English Heritage London Blue Plaques scheme is generously supported by David Pearl, the Blue Plaques Club, and members of the public.

THE LIFE OF A.V. Hill

1886 Born in Bristol
1905 Won a scholarship to read mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge
1909 Began experimenting at the Cambridge Physiological Laboratory
1913 Married Margaret Neville Keynes
1918 Awarded OBE for experimental research into anti-aircraft munitions during WWI
1922 Moved to University College, London
1923 Awarded Nobel Prize for ‘discovery relating to the production of heat in the muscle’
1927 Conducted first experiments to investigate the effect of air resistance in running
1933 Founder member of Academic Assistance Council
1940 Elected independent MP for Cambridge University
1952 Served as President of the British Society for the Advancement of Science
1977 Died in Cambridge, aged ninety

HISTORY OF LONDON’S BLUE PLAQUES SCHEME – The London-wide blue plaques scheme has been running for nearly 150 years. The idea of erecting 'memorial tablets' was first proposed by William Ewart MP in the House of Commons in 1863. It had an immediate impact on the public imagination, and in 1866 the (Royal) Society of Arts founded an official plaques scheme. The Society erected its first plaque – to poet, Lord Byron – in 1867. The blue plaques scheme was subsequently administered by the London County Council (1901-65) and by the Greater London Council (1965-86), before being taken on by English Heritage in 1986.
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