London Town Walks

21/03/2018

Ian Porter's latest novel, A Plague On Both Your Houses, is published. It's set in the East Ends of London and Berlin during the final months of the Great War, and the months thereafter. The title refers to the 'Spanish' Flu pandemic which is raging throughout the story.

The London section of the novel, starts four years on from the end of Porter's previous novel, Suffragette Autumn Women's Spring. It's now 1918 and we're again in Bow, with the heroine and hero of the Suffragette story, Ruby and Nashey, continuing their battles against the British government. The Vote for Women has just been won, but now they are anti-war protesters.

And in Berlin, there are others with similar problems.

21/02/2018

As Adele says "Blame it on the River Lea." But which part? It's a long river. If you want to do a River Lea walk do you head for the bit around Chingford, Tottenham, Clapham, the Hackney Marshes, Bow Creek? I had a look along all these sections and decided the most interesting was the section around Three Mills. So you start in Bow, and before you even get to the river you see some of this area's fascinating history. [ 263 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2018/02/21/river-lea-other-east-end-waterways-walk/

As Adele says “Blame it on the River Lea.” But which part? It’s a long river. If you want to do a River Lea walk do you head for the bit around Chingford, Tottenham, Clapham, the…

21/02/2018

The highlight of this walk is walking around the amazing Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge. This 500 year old 3-story building is stunning. If it were in central London it would be packed with tourists all day every day, but out in darkest Chingford you'll probably get this undiscovered gem all to yourselves. It's decked out as it would have been in Tudor times, and out of its windows you see pretty much the same view of Epping Forest that good Queen Bess would have enjoyed. [ 47 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2018/02/21/elizabeth-1s-epping-forest-walk/

The highlight of this walk is walking around the amazing Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge. This 500 year old 3-story building is stunning. If it were in central London it would be packed with tourists…

03/12/2017

1902: Leading light in the Votes for Women movement, Eva Gore-Booth, campaigned at the Clitheroe by-election for Labour candidate David Shackleton, who had promised to favour the enfranchisement of women. He was elected and immediately went back on his promise (such disingenuous behaviour by politicians had been and would remain a recurring theme throughout the Votes for Women campaign). This led to the foundation of the Lancashire & Cheshire Women's Textile & other Workers Representative Committee by Eva Gore-Booth, Esther Roper and Sarah Reddish. [ 30 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/12/03/1918-women-win-the-vote-100-blogs-to-the-centenary-on-votes-for-women-1866-1918-blog-23/

1902: Leading light in the Votes for Women movement, Eva Gore-Booth, campaigned at the Clitheroe by-election for Labour candidate David Shackleton, who had promised to favour the enfranchisement of…

30/11/2017

1897-1901: Esther Roper revitalised the Manchester Society for Women's Suffrage, which had lacked direction since the death of early leading Votes for Women campaigner Lydia Becker. The organisation became the North of England Society for Women's Suffrage. Roper steered the focus away from concentrating on the interests of only middle class women to incorporate working class women. The organisation became part of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. [ 34 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/11/30/women-win-vote-1918-centenary-blog-22-of-100-on-votes-for-women-1866-1918/

1897-1901: Esther Roper revitalised the Manchester Society for Women’s Suffrage, which had lacked direction since the death of early leading Votes for Women campaigner Lydia Becker. The orga…

23/11/2017

1901 - by the turn of the century various women's suffrage societies had been combined to form the National Union of Women's Suffrage Society. It wanted the vote under the same conditions as men, which effectively meant mostly middle class women and above. They believed it necessary to be seen as intelligent, polite, law-abiding. There were petitions, demonstrations, lobbying, public meetings, published pamphlets and leaflets, interviews in newspapers and journals. [ 40 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/11/23/votes-for-women-1866-1918-100-blogs-to-the-centenary-of-women-winning-the-vote-blog-20/

1901 – by the turn of the century various women’s suffrage societies had been combined to form the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Society. It wanted the vote under the same co…

21/11/2017

1899/1901 - Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst, now a widow, had to resign from her voluntary work on a Board of Guardians to take salaried work. She became a Registrar of Births & Deaths in Manchester. Through her work, she was shocked by to be reminded over and over again of the little respect there was in the world for women and children. [ 91 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/11/21/british-women-won-the-vote-feb-6-1918-100-blogs-on-votes-for-women-blog-19/

1899/1901 – Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst, now a widow, had to resign from her voluntary work on a Board of Guardians to take salaried work. She became a Registrar of Births & Deaths in Manchest…

17/11/2017

1898: One of women's suffrage's most important and ardent male supporters, Richard Pankhurst, died. He had been involved in winning the vote for women at local level and drafting the Married Women's Property Act (see previous blogs), drafted the first women's suffrage bill (the Women's Disabilities Bill), established the National Society for Women's Suffrage and together with his wife Emmeline had formed the Women's Franchise League. [ 87 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/11/17/women-win-the-vote-1918-centenary-blog-18-of-100-re-1866-1918-campaign/

1898: One of women’s suffrage’s most important and ardent male supporters, Richard Pankhurst, died. He had been involved in winning the vote for women at local level and drafting the Ma…

16/11/2017

1890's: Just as Asquith was to stop women getting the vote during the time of the Suffragettes, Gladstone did likewise for the preceding 20 years. Throughout the first 40 years of the Votes for Women movement 1866-1906 Britain had either a Conservative government opposed to Votes for Women or a Liberal government with anti Votes for Women Gladstone as its leader. [ 90 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/11/16/william-gladstone-on-votes-for-women-blog-17-of-100-commemorating-centenary-of-victory/

1890’s: Just as Asquith was to stop women getting the vote during the time of the Suffragettes, Gladstone did likewise for the preceding 20 years. Throughout the first 40 years of the Votes f…

15/11/2017

1893: But for disingenuous MP's putting power and party politics ahead of their own beliefs (no change there then!), Britain's women would have been the first to win the vote. This honour was eventually that of New Zealand's women in 1893. It was hard won. A petition with over 30,000 genuine signatures supporting votes for women was taken to parliament in Wellington, where MP John Hall, one of its most prominent supporters, presented it in theatrical style. [ 106 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/11/15/women-with-vote-1918-centenary-blog-16-of-100-votes-for-women-1866-19181-en/

1893: But for disingenuous MP’s putting power and party politics ahead of their own beliefs (no change there then!), Britain’s women would have been the first to win the vote. This hono…

14/11/2017

1889: It wasn't just men who were hampering suffragists. In 1889 an appeal against women's suffrage was signed by 104 well known society women. These included Beatrice Potter (later Webb), the great Fabian; Mrs Leslie Stephen, mother of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell; and Mrs Herbert Asquith, the wife of the future Prime Minister. It is perhaps surprising such women, who had received the benefits of a good education and who were all active in furthering female education, were against women's suffrage. [ 119 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/11/14/women-with-vote-1918-centenary-blog-15-of-100-on-the-fight-1866-1918/

1889: It wasn’t just men who were hampering suffragists. In 1889 an appeal against women’s suffrage was signed by 104 well known society women. These included Beatrice Potter (later Web…

11/11/2017

Blog 14: The 1886 General Election resulted in a Conservative government without an overall majority having to rely for support on the Liberal Unionist Party, the LUP (how history tends to repeat itself!). The LUP demanded a bill creating County Councils for the first time. Woman ratepayers had been eligible to vote at Borough level since 1869 but once the Local Government Act had been passed in 1888 they could vote at County level. [ 64 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/11/11/100-years-of-womens-suffrage-100-blogs-on-votes-for-women-upto-1918-blog-14/

Blog 14: The 1886 General Election resulted in a Conservative government without an overall majority having to rely for support on the Liberal Unionist Party, the LUP (how history tends to repeat i…

02/11/2017

1888 - Suffrage campaigner Annie Besant published an article entitled "White Slavery in London," detailing the appalling conditions women were subjected to in the Bryant & May matchbox factory in Bow, East London. There was little regard for the women's health. They had to work with phosphorus which gave them 'phossy jaw" (their jaw was eaten away). They were also paid shocking poorly despite the huge profits the firm were making. [ 135 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/11/02/votes-for-women-1866-1918-100-blogs-to-centenary-feb-6-2018-blog-13/

1888 – Suffrage campaigner Annie Besant published an article entitled “White Slavery in London,” detailing the appalling conditions women were subjected to in the Bryant & May…

31/10/2017

1884: Suffragists had been told by the Liberal government they intended to introduce a new Reform Bill which included a clause on women's suffrage, albeit a watered down version of what campaigners had originally hoped for. 79 Liberal MPs had asked Prime Minister Gladstone to recognise the claim of women householders. Women believed this was the start of more wide reaching changes. [ 96 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/31/votes-for-women-1866-1918-100-blogs-to-centenary-of-victory-blog-12/

1884: Suffragists had been told by the Liberal government they intended to introduce a new Reform Bill which included a clause on women’s suffrage, albeit a watered down version of what campa…

26/10/2017

1879: Richard Pankhurst, the radical lawyer who had earlier drafted an unsuccessful bill in favour of women's suffrage, and who then drafted the first Married Women's Property Act, marries women's rights campaigner Emmeline Goulden. 1882: he gets the second Married Women's Property Act passed. It entitled women to administer their own property and, crucially, retain ownership and control of any properties they brought into a marriage. [ 58 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/26/women-win-vote-1918-centenary-100-blogs-of-fight-1866-1918-blog-11/

1879: Richard Pankhurst, the radical lawyer who had earlier drafted an unsuccessful bill in favour of women’s suffrage, and who then drafted the first Married Women’s Property Act, mar…

20/10/2017

1873-8 Further important Acts of Parliament were passed giving women more rights. The Custody of Infants Act gave women who were divorced or legally separated from husbands the right to see their children regardless of whether they possessed a 'blemished character'. Mothers were also permitted to apply for custody of children. This was no longer automatically given to fathers. Frances Power Cobbe, an investigative journalist and campaigner, inspired the passing of a second Divorce & Matrimonial Causes Act, notably through her pivotal article 'Wife Torture in England'. [ 45 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/20/votes-for-women-victory-feb-6-1918-blog-10-of-100-leading-to-centenary/

1873-8 Further important Acts of Parliament were passed giving women more rights. The Custody of Infants Act gave women who were divorced or legally separated from husbands the right to see their…

19/10/2017

1872 - Splits increased. As the number of women declaring themselves suffragists increased, so did the number of strong personalities and differing political opinions. This led to a number of suffrage societies springing up - the Women's Franchise League, Women's Emancipation Union, Cooperative Women's Guild, Women's Liberal Federation, Primrose League. Despite many later coming together to form the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, there were 22 societies fighting for the vote for women by the end of the century. [ 35 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/19/votes-for-women-blog-9-of-100-to-centenary-of-vote-won-feb-6-2018/

1872 – Splits increased. As the number of women declaring themselves suffragists increased, so did the number of strong personalities and differing political opinions. This led to a number o…

18/10/2017

1871 - splits started to occur in the women's suffrage movement. Manchester decided all suffrage groups should band together with their HQ in Manchester, with their leader to be Jacob Bright, Radical-Liberal MP, a pioneer for women's suffrage and whom had influence that no woman enjoyed. But London were not keen to be ruled by Manchester or to have a man as their leader. [ 97 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/18/votes-for-women-1866-1918-100-blogs-to-centenary-feb-6th-2018-blog-8/

1871 – splits started to occur in the women’s suffrage movement. Manchester decided all suffrage groups should band together with their HQ in Manchester, with their leader to be Jacob B…

17/10/2017

1870- the Education Act was passed which brings in schooling for all for the first time. The Act required schools to have boards to administer them. Dignitaries in her local area asked Elizabeth Garrett to stand for election. She agreed to stand and won the Marylebone election by a landslide. She received 48,000 votes. None of her opponents gained more than 13,000. [ 85 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/17/votes-for-women-1866-1918-100-blogs-up-to-the-centenary-blog-7/

1870- the Education Act was passed which brings in schooling for all for the first time. The Act required schools to have boards to administer them. Dignitaries in her local area asked Elizabeth Ga…

16/10/2017

1869 - Municipal Franchise Act is passed. Women ratepayers win the right to vote in local elections for municipal councils (though a court case ruling in 1872 reduced this to only unmarried women - widows, singles). The Act also enabled women to serve as Poor Law Guardians (Emmeline Pankhurst became such a guardian in 1894). 1870 - Married Women's Property Act is passed. [ 34 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/16/votes-for-women-1866-1918-100-blogs-up-to-the-centenary-blog-6/

1869 – Municipal Franchise Act is passed. Women ratepayers win the right to vote in local elections for municipal councils (though a court case ruling in 1872 reduced this to only unmarried w…

09/10/2017

1868 - The National Society for Women's Suffrage was founded. The first society campaigning for the vote at national level. But the biggest women's issue of the day was the Contagious Diseases Acts. 1869 - The Ladies National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts was founded. Over the next 15 years there were 900 meetings, and 17,000 petitions collected 2,600,000 signatures of support. The Acts were repealed in 1886. Large scale successful national women's protest movements were born.

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/09/votes-for-women-1866-1918-100-blogs-to-centenary-feb-6th-2018-blog-5/

1868 – The National Society for Women’s Suffrage was founded. The first society campaigning for the vote at national level. But the biggest women’s issue of the day was the Conta…

08/10/2017

1867- a widowed Manchester shop owner, Lilly Maxwell, mistakenly appeared on the electoral register because she met the property value requirements. She went to vote and was allowed to do so by the returning officer. Leading women's rights campaigner Lydia Becker encouraged other women householders to petition for their names to appear on the rolls. Their claims were represented in the Court of Common Pleas by Sir John Coleridge and Richard Pankhurst (later husband of Emmeline) but the case was dismissed. The Manchester Women's Suffrage Committee was founded.

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/08/the-fight-for-the-vote-for-women-1866-1918-blog-4-of-100/

1867- a widowed Manchester shop owner, Lilly Maxwell, mistakenly appeared on the electoral register because she met the property value requirements. She went to vote and was allowed to do so by the…

07/10/2017

Previously on blog 2...1867 MP John Stuart Mill tables an amendment to the Reform Bill which would give propertied women the same voting rights as propertied men. Blog 3: Mill was heard by the House with attention and respect. He was seconded in a short speech by Henry Fawcett (later married Millie Garrett, who became president of the largest of the women's suffrage societies. [ 47 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/07/british-women-won-the-vote-1918-centenary-blog-3-of-100/

Previously on blog 2…1867 MP John Stuart Mill tables an amendment to the Reform Bill which would give propertied women the same voting rights as propertied men. Blog 3: Mill was heard by the …

06/10/2017

Previously...in blog 1. 1866 - MP John Stuart Mill agreed to submit a petition to the House of Commons asking for the vote for woman on condition the Kensington Society could find 100 signatures. A women's suffrage committee was formed. Blog 2: Elizabeth Garrett (later to become Britain's first openly female MD), as an independent woman householder, offered her dining room for the office work. [ 88 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/06/british-women-win-the-vote-1918-blog-2-of-100/

Previously…in blog 1. 1866 – MP John Stuart Mill agreed to submit a petition to the House of Commons asking for the vote for woman on condition the Kensington Society could find 100 sig…

05/10/2017

Feb 6th 2018 will be the centenary of British women (aged over 30 with some other provisos) winning the vote. I will write 100 blogs over the next 4 months telling the history of the fight for the vote for women. Blog 1: Women ask MP John Stuart Mill to challenge John Bull. The fight for the vote for women essentially started with the formation of the Kensington Society in 1865. [ 284 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/10/05/british-women-won-the-vote-feb-6th-1918-100-blogs-to-the-centenary-blog-1/

Feb 6th 2018 will be the centenary of British women (aged over 30 with some other provisos) winning the vote. I will write 100 blogs over the next 4 months telling the history of the fight for the …

21/09/2017

We start with the huge posh houses where Sloanies live. Then it's Duke of York House, which is much better known as an art gallery. One cute little road later we're at the Chelsea Hospital of red coated pensioners fame. We walk through the beautiful grounds and buildings and get a great view of where the Chelsea Flower show takes place too. [ 191 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/09/21/charming-chelsea-walk/

We start with the huge posh houses where Sloanies live. Then it’s Duke of York House, which is much better known as an art gallery. One cute little road later we’re at the Chelsea Hospi…

20/09/2017

Jack the Ripper walks around Spitalfields/Whitechapel/the City are frankly no longer worth doing unless you enjoy walking round building sites. The area in which all but one of the murders took place is now a sea of construction, with nothing left to see from Victorian times. It's preferable to do a walk around the still atmospheric, interesting, creepy old parts of Whitechapel and St Georges in the East, a world away from modern day gentrification, skyscrapers and Crossrail. [ 212 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/09/20/whitechapel-murder-riot-and-siege-the-ripper-krays-cable-st-sidney-st/

Jack the Ripper walks around Spitalfields/Whitechapel/the City are frankly no longer worth doing unless you enjoy walking round building sites. The area in which all but one of the murders took pla…

20/09/2017

This walk takes you well off the beaten track. You start by taking the Emirates Cable Car (small additional charge to your oyster card) over the river to enjoy amazing views of London and the O2. This is the best value view in London. Far cheaper and yet more spectacular than the Olympic Park Orbit, the Eye or the Shard. Once back on terra firma you head along spectacular old docks. [ 231 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/09/20/hidden-docklands-and-emirates-cable-car-walk/

This walk takes you well off the beaten track. You start by taking the Emirates Cable Car (small additional charge to your oyster card) over the river to enjoy amazing views of London and the O2. T…

21/08/2017

This walk takes you away from the hustle and bustle of the usual Westminster tourist haunts, into uncrowded, little known gardens, yards and squares. There's lots of history - huge centuries old mansions overlooking Green Park, one of which has a Lady Diana connection; amazing views of Buckingham Palace & Westminster as you cross St James' Park; the best street of beautiful Queen Anne houses in London; a hall connected to the world's greatest Victorian philanthropist; two Suffragette memorials; a famous public school; the venue of the first regulated football match; the oldest house in London; Westminster Abbey; the Houses of Parliament; a memorial to the end of slavery; and the pretty square where the father of investigative journalism lived. [ 151 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/08/21/leafy-westminster-and-garden-museum-walk/

This walk takes you away from the hustle and bustle of the usual Westminster tourist haunts, into uncrowded, little known gardens, yards and squares. There’s lots of history – huge cent…

28/04/2017

We have replaced our Mr Selfridge walk with this tour because there's so much more to be shown and told about the history of shopping. We start at the Ritz and tell of its place in shopping history. We also see classy Fortnum & Masons and tell you the fascinating story of how the two men got together. We walk through the amazing Burlington Arcade and along famous clothing thoroughfares such as Savile Row and Jermyn Street, telling you the history behind them. [ 153 more words ]

http://londontownwalks.com/2017/04/28/mayfair-shopping-history-walk

We have replaced our Mr Selfridge walk with this tour because there’s so much more to be shown and told about the history of shopping. We start at the Ritz and tell of its place in shopping h…