Grace Waterhouse was born in South West London in 1906 to Bertram and Jane Waterhouse and was the youngest of three children. She had two brothers. She attended the Royal Holloway, University of London from 1924 to 1927 where she studied botany. After graduation, she worked in the Botany Department of Royal Holloway College for 12 years. In 1939, she was awarded a Master's degree for her work in Phytophthora. From 1937 to 1941, she studied zoology at Birkbeck College. In 1983, the University of London awarded her a doctorate in science.
