In Memory of LISA PONTECORVO

This page will be devoted to communicating information on the passing of Lisa Pontecorvo, our friend and a tireless community activist in the Caledonian Ward, Islington and Camden.

Please bookmark this page for all upcoming information.

You may wish to join many others of Lisa's friends and colleagues who have left a Tribute to Lisa in the Comments section at the bottom of this posting.

Memorial Event now scheduled for Friday 14, November

The date has now been confirmed for the memorial event in Edward Square to celebrate and commemorate the life of Lisa.  I apologise for the slight delay in finally settling this but we now have a date and time that seems to maximise involvement and attendance.

It will be held on Friday 14th November at around 2pm in Edwards Square. We shall have a large marquee erected, refreshments, music, art and performances arranged (so far) from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, local schools and from Lisa friends and neighbours.

Much of the organisational burden is being handled by staff in the Council's Greenspace department and we are very grateful for their contribution. Further details will be circulated shortly and we shall be widely publicising the event throughout the neighbourhood and Borough.

Best wishes,

Paul

As soon as we have more information, we will pass it on. You might want to record your recollections of Lisa under the "Comments" section of this posting for all to read.

Comments

[Jennifer Christie]

Ditto, to everything Paul has said. I can't believe she's gone. May her spirit live on both here, in Thornhill Square, and in Edward Square.

[william perrin]

lisa was such a wonderful person - i can't believe she has gone. she lives on in the wonderful edward square. a lovely tribute by paul

[Catherine Packard]

I am saddened beyond words at the news of this tragic accident. I was going to see Lisa tomorrow morning at one of the many King’s Cross ventures she loved to get involved in. I can’t believe I will never engage in the fabulous, boisterous banter with the larger than life Lisa whom we have all come to know so well.

[Bridget Fox]

Lisa was unique and I can't believe she's gone.

People who at first glance thought she was a daffy lady on a bike soon learned otherwise. Lisa's sharp mind and total determination to pursue her causes, made her fearless in the face of any institution or assumption.

People who knew her as a forthright campaigner may, if lucky, also have got to know her kind heart; I remember Lisa was very sweet to me when I was suffering a bereavement.

Lisa was passionate about defending local treasures, and became one herself. She will be very much missed.

[Alexander Kirk Wilson (aka JAK to Lisa)]

Poor Lisa. She was a good and idiosyncratic friend to me and an interested, caring (and idiosyncratic) godmother to William. We will miss her deeply. Could anyone who learns of funeral arrangements please post them on this site?

[Ruth Kirk-Wilson]

We are very old friends from university. We have told her old colleagues and friedns for whom we have emails but we feel so helpless. We simply cannot take this in and it is dreadful as we can't find out who to contact about details. Does anyone know? We spoke before she wnet to St Luc this summer and arranged to meet up now. Please can anyone help?Ruth KW

[Ruth Kirk-Wilson]

We are devastated by this awful news and feel so helpless. Can anyone help us find out who is making all the arrangments? We do so want to help. We have told her old college and as many friends as we can but these are scattered in so many countries that it is not easy. Please can anyone help?
Ruth Kirk-Wilson

[Ruth Kirk-Wilson]

We are simply devastated by the news. She has been part of our family life for so many years when she was in the UK. Please does anyone know who is organising all the practical details? We are so worried. She was an only child and most of her family are abroad.

[Ruth Kirk-Wilson]

We are devasted by this event. Lisa was one of my oldest friends and part of my life since university. The worst thing for us is that we cannot find out who is handling all the practical details that she was so good at for both her parents. We do want to help with this. Does anyone know?
Ruth Kirk-Wilson

[Cousin Mat]

I'd just like to say that it's very gratifying (but unsurprising) to read that Lisa's life touched so many people.

She made many happy family times in St Luc possible through her generosity, and was such a caring hostess - for that we will always be grateful. Her knowledge and passion for the mountains were infectious, and I will always admire the compassion and understanding she found for the local kids when they were causing havoc in Thornhill Square. She will be very greatly missed.

When I have news of arrangements I'll certainly post it up here if it is yet to be so.

And Ruth, the webmaster should be able to put you in touch with me directly as this is moderated and they have our email addresses?

[David Oxnam]

How deeply sadden I was to hear of the very untimely death of my friend Lisa. I have lived in Kings Cross for twenty odd years and Lisa and I first started working together on community projects with the regeneration of the Regents Canal. ( Lisa had started many other local initiatives long before I got involved). In the bad old days, you could not get on to the towpath, as there was corrugated iron all down the sides. Once the major battles on canal had been won, Lisa twisted my arm to get involved with Edward Square and latterly the Friends of Edward Square. Without Lisa’s tenacity and drive I am sure that we would never have had the wonderful square that we have today.

Once one got to know Lisa, one soon realised just how many people’s lives she touched and improved for the better. I was always amazed at the community events she contributed too and the concern that she had in maintaining a sense of ownership in the history and values of Kings Cross and Islington. I am sure that even her opponents on the ‘planning’ battlefields gave her grudging respect for encyclopaedic knowledge of our local area.

We both shared a love in all things Swiss, and skiing which was yet another side to Lisa’s rich personality.

A huge hole will be left in our community by Lisa’s untimely departure, I do hope we will have the opportunity to celebrate her life in the not too distant future.

[Julian Grenier]

I'm very saddened to hear of Lisa's tragic death and remember with great pleasure the visits by Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment to Kate Greenaway Nursery School which Lisa arranged, and I'll think of her every time I walk through the square.

[Margot Dunn]

I live off Madras Place and ride a tricycle but am incredibly careful when using that cycle crossing into Fieldway Crescent. I was coming home and saw the police tape and heard about the lady who was knocked down by the huge cement lorry. When I heard it was my old friend and political opponent Lisa Pontecorvo I was devastated. The really nice thing about being friends with Lisa was that you could disagree about the course of one of her pet projects but never about the sentiments that guided her.The chimneys over which she and I battled together against a developer up to and including a Hearing was only one of our memorable encounters. She was one of a kind!

[Margaret Spencer]

I have just heard, from another St Anne's friend, Judy Hague, about Lisa's death. It's difficult to take in that someone so bursting with life and energy should be no more. In the last few years my husband Chris and I had got back in touch with Lisa, and had 3 lovely visits to the Swiss chalet. I shared a love of walking and a passion for alpine flowers with Lisa - we spent hours botanising round St Luc. It was fantastic to be with someone who knew the mountains so well - all the places had personal memories for her. And of course we heard about all the latest planning battles, and marvelled at her energy and involvement. It doesn't seem possible that we won't see Lisa again.

[Christine Lehmann]

I only knew Lisa for a very short period of time. In that time, she inspired me with her relentless excitement and enthusiasm for Crumbles Castle and all of the other amazing projects in her much-loved neighborhood. Her enthusiasm and encouragement will be much missed but never forgotten. She was selfless and cared so much for the local children and young people. I am saddened that I did not have more time to spend with her, I will miss her very much. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help in the celebration of her life.

[judy hague]

lisa, ruth and I were at university together, and we've been friends ever since. Laughing with lisa, exchanging news( always passionate and committed on her part), enjoying her hospitality, marvelling at her utterly unique take on life - this is all going to stay with us - but such a life cut short, and in such a way.....I can't find words just now.

[Cllr Lisa Spall]

I only knew lisa very briefly as ward councillor of caledonian, but she was a lovely lady who i found to be warm and kind but also very passionate about the community.

Edward square is a prime example of all lisa's are work and determination.

This is such sad news, I hear goes out to her family and friends. x

[Oliver and Sofia Craxton]

We cannot believe what has happened, Lisa as everybody would agree was such an energetic and supportive person, incredibly intelligent and interested in life. Being a cyclist and having known Lisa it makes it so much worse that such terrible accidents can happen in our streets. A campaign (Lisa’s style) is required to do something so that pedestrians, cyclists, taxis, cars and lorries can travel in some kind of harmony. A loss like this one should not have happened -whether it was Lisa or anybody else, this should not happen!

Dear Lisa: Just this morning as I was cycling near Rosebery Avenue I was thinking how easy it would be for a lorry not to see a cyclist and how nothing could be done to stop such a horrible accident. Little did I know of the awful thing that happened yesterday. You will be greatly missed. Thank you for your support and enthusiasm with my crazy ideas and with the Craxton Trust. Somehow I think that from now on, everytime I make Pavlova pudding I will think of you and will make sure there is an extra chunk with extra berries just for you. Sofia

[Alastair Murray]

This is to endorse the good things said by Paul and others here. I learned of Lisa's tragic death last night and still can't really take it in - she's been in my thoughts all day.
We met in 2000, I think it was, at the founding meeting of the "Friends of Edward Square" or FREDS. Characteristically she was too modest to take credit for saving the Square, always insisting that Sadie and the others were the main campaigners. I'm sure that Sadie - no slouch on the campaigning side herself - would join with all of us to say how valuable Lisa's knowledge and campaigning heart were to that project, as well as her utter conviction that all the local kids deserve the best of facilities and activities.
I once asked her if she was related to the film maker Gillo Pontecorvo, director of the superb Battle of Algiers, and yes - she was his niece (Maybe someone could confirm this?)
Also feeling a sense of anger and deep sadness that Lisa joins the ranks of cyclists who have died on London's roads. Critical mass could organise to go to that spot and pay cyclists' tribute to Lisa, that excellent lady.

[Suryaprabha, North London Buddhist Centre]

I work at the Buddhist Centre opposite to the accident scene and was both shocked and saddened to hear about it from, firstly, the police that evening then the next day from my colleagues. But I am so very relieved to hear the wonderful rejoicing in Lisa's talent for affecting people constructively and endearingly. My experience was of the stunning emptiness of the road and tent guarding the fatal spot opposite us when I got back there from an outside job at about 9.30. I have observed for years the inept way that traffic is controlled at that junction. Vehicles travelling south stop promptly at Fieldway Crescent whereas north travelling ones will move steadily across the bike path because the lights are then behind them and the tailback from the Liverpool Road junction ahead will slowly bunching up to make them space they wander into - unfortunately that space includes a very narrow faded yellow crosshatch section that the unwary cyclist could assume is sacrosanct - it isn't as I've observed the heedless drivers take offence when the more vocal cyclists quite rightly abuse them.
I organised the little ritual we did Tuesday not knowing anything other than a cyclist had been killed. Whatever I can do I hope to give. Perhaps especially for someone who herself gave such a lot. I am a filmmaker and would happily shoot the traffic lights cycle from the point of view of cyclists coming from St Mary Magdalene's onto the Holloway Road. We should do something to mark the spot and develop more awareness of the area (not that there's a continuously growing awareness at that junction) that has so much character, history and potential. I feel Lisa would approve.
My deepest condolences to friends and family.
Suryaprabha

[Alison Furnham]

This is tragic news. I knew Lisa for over 17 years, from the time we became neighbours in Thornhill Square. Almost immediately she made me aware of local issues. I had never been on a 'demo' before Lisa invited me to hold a placard against the closure of West Library!
Only this summer she helped a group of us oppose a development proposal, firing off long and passionate emails from Switzerland, packed with information and advice. She gave us the benefit of her huge experience and knowledge of planning matters and was always the first person to turn to.
The manner of her untimely death was dreadful and it is a cruel irony that she was killed on the streets of the borough she loved so much. I shall miss her greatly.

[Jessica Redfern]

I have been a personal friend of Lisa since the late 70's and I knew her father. My husband (now deceased)and I went to Switzerland as "geri-sitters" for many years (at least 12 times) and it was always wonderful to be there. I would have been seeing her back here in October when she was due to come back after another two weeks out there. How tragic that she should come back for a couple of weeks to this horrifying fate.

Naturally I am very keen to know of the arrangements to be made for her funeral and like so many others who have contributed to thie site, I shall keep looking out for any notices. I send my loving sympathy to her aunt and cousins ... her aunt and one of her cousins I have met but do not know their addresses to be able to write to them now.

[Aron Cronin]

Lisa was indeed Gillo Pontecorvo's niece - but they were not much in touch. Her father, an eminent geneticist, left Italy in 1938 when Mussolini brought in a law dismissing all Jews from Government positions. I have always had a private theory that this was at the root of her absolute determination to see rights and proper process respected.
This corner of Islington will be much the poorer without her.

[Rupert and Ann Perry]

Three days on and Ann and I are still reeling. We have been involved in talking with many who knew Lisa, some from way back, reflecting on her amazing life and her impact on our community in and around the Cally.

On Tuesday night after West Area Committee (which she would have been at), we drank a bottle of red wine in her memory. Lisa would visit with a bottle or two of her Aunt's fine burgundy and we shall miss that.

Once, in the middle of the night, we had ring or our bell. It was Lisa, unable to gain access to her house, having broken the key in the lock. Fortunately the problem was quickly solved and we could laugh about it afterwards.

It was often late at night that an angry Lisa might release her frustations by going to the top bathroom (so as not to disturb the neighbours) to sing sixties protest songs. She said it always seemed to help.

Lisa and her father moved into Thornhill Sq a few years after us. We were all keen to be involved in the area and we have been campaigning together ever since. She was not afraid and enjoyed the epithet "The Rottweiler". Even death threats did not deter her.

All our family knew her, and our children are just as devastated. As Edna Griffiths said to me "Some people you assume will be there forever." Her legacy certainly will be.

Whilst she is no longer physically able to campaign, we will continue in her spirit to keep what she created alive.

Ann and Rupert Perry

[Rupert and Ann Perry]

Three days on and Ann and I are still reeling. We have been involved in talking with many who knew Lisa, some from way back, reflecting on her amazing life and her impact on our community in and around the Cally.

On Tuesday night after West Area Committee (which she would have been at), we drank a bottle of red wine in her memory. Lisa would visit with a bottle or two of her Aunt's fine burgundy and we shall miss that.

Once, in the middle of the night, we had ring or our bell. It was Lisa, unable to gain access to her house, having broken the key in the lock. Fortunately the problem was quickly solved and we could laugh about it afterwards.

It was often late at night that an angry Lisa might release her frustations by going to the top bathroom (so as not to disturb the neighbours) to sing sixties protest songs. She said it always seemed to help.

Lisa and her father moved into Thornhill Sq a few years after us. We were all keen to be involved in the area and we have been campaigning together ever since. She was not afraid and enjoyed the epithet "The Rottweiler". Even death threats did not deter her.

All our family knew her, and our children are just as devastated. As Edna Griffiths said to me "Some people you assume will be there forever." Her legacy certainly will be.

Whilst she is no longer physically able to campaign, we will continue in her spirit to keep what she created alive.

Ann and Rupert Perry